Aldehydes and Ketones
1.0 Introduction
1.0 Introduction
Aldehydes and ketones are the compounds containing a carbonyl group, in which a carbon atom is linked to an oxygen atom by a double bond. They have the same general formula $C_nH_{2n}O$.
The carbonyl group is,
The general structure of aldehydes is,
and that of ketones is where R and R? may be same or different. Formaldehyde represents the simplest aldehyde in which the
carbonyl group is attached to two hydrogen atom, i.e.,
Formaldehyde is exceptional in that the carbonyl group carries two hydrogen atoms and no alkyl substituents. It is, therefore, not surprising that it displays characteristic properties.
