UNIT - 12 Organic Compounds Containing Oxygen (Aldehydes, Ketones And Carboxylic Acids)
ALDEHYDES AND KETONES
Classification:

Important carbonyl compounds :

All have very pleasant fragrances and are used in food products and pharmaceuticals.
Some other carbonyl compounds like acetone are used in manufacture of adhesives, perfumes, plastics, paints etc.
PREPARATION
1. From alcohols
a) by oxidation

Aldehydes formed are oxidised to carboxylic acids if they remain in the reaction mixture.
Mild oxidising agents like PDC or PCC stop the oxidation at the aldehyde stage.


b) by catalytic dehydrogenation of alcohols (primary and secondary)

- Further oxidation of aldehydes and ketones to acids does not take place in this method.
2. From carboxylic acids

3. By hydration of alkynes

4. By ozonolysis of alkenes


5. By Wacker process
6. Acid chlorides ketones
7. Acid chlorides aldehydes (Rosenmund reaction)
8. From nitriles (Stephen reduction)
This reaction can also be carried out with DIBAL-H (di isobutyl aluminium hydride)
-
DIBAL-H does not reduce ethylenic double bonds.
-
DIBAL-H also reduces esters to aldehydes
9. From nitriles

10. From hydrocarbons
a) By side chain oxidation

Etard reaction

- In both the reactions oxidation of aldehyde to the acid is prevented by trapping the aldehyde in the form of a complex which on hydrolysis gives aldehyde.
b) By side chain oxidation followed by hydrolysis
c) By Gattermann-Koch reaction
d) Friedel Crafts acylation
PHYSICAL PROPERTIES
1. Boiling points
Aldehydes and ketones have higher boiling points than corresponding hydrocarbons due to the presence of dipole-dipole interactions.
Aldehydes and ketones cannot form any intermolecular hydrogen bonds like alcohols because there is no hydrogen attached to oxygen atom in these compounds.
Thus alcohols have higher boiling points than aldehydes and ketones since intermolecular hydrogen bonding is stronger than dipole-dipole interactions.
2. Solubility
Lower aldehydes and ketones are soluble in water due to
3. Dipole moments
Aldehydes and ketones have large dipole moments as compared to alcohols or ethers. This is because of the shifting of
CHEMICAL PROPERTIES
I. NUCLEOPHILICADDITION REACTIONS
Due to greater electronegativity of oxygen as compared to carbon, the carbon atom of carbonyl group acquires positive charge and behaves as electrophile. Thus they react with nucleophiles at the carbonyl carbon.

Relative reactivities of aldehydes and ketones:
i. Inductive effect- Greater the number of alkyl groups attached to carbonyl group, greater is the electron density on the carbonyl carbon, hence lower is its reactivity towards nucleophilic addition.

Thus aldehydes are more reactive than ketones due to electronic factors.
ii. Steric effect - As the number and size of alkyl groups increases, attack of nucleophile on the carbonyl group becomes more and more difficult due to steric hinderance.
Thus aldehydes are more reactive than ketones due to steric factors.
1. Addition of Water

2. Addition of hydrogen cyanide [HCN]

Cyanohydrins are useful synthetic intermediates
3. Addition of sodium bisulphite

These bisulphite adducts can be easily decomposed to give back the carbonyl compound on treatment with a base or acid. Thus this reaction can be used for the purification and separation of carbonyl compounds.
4. Addition of Grignard reagents

Grignard reagents add to formaldehyde, aldehydes and ketones to give primary, secondary and tertiary alcohols respectively.
5. Addition of alcohol - Acetal and Ketal formation

If instead of using two molecules of a monohydric alcohol, one molecule of a dihydric alcohol is used, a cyclic acetal or cyclic ketal is formed.

Acetals and ketals can be hydrolysed with aqueous mineral acids to give back respective aldehydes and ketones. Thus this reaction can be used to protect a carbonyl compound in a reaction.
6. Addition of ammonia derivatives
This is a nucleophilic addition reaction followed by elimination of a molecule of water
a) Reaction with ammonia

b) Reaction with amine

c) Reaction with hydroxylamine

d) Reaction with hydrazine

e) Reaction with phenylhydrazine

f) Reaction with 2,4-dinitrophenylhydrazine [Brady’s reagent]

g) Reaction with semicarbazide

Control of during addition of ammonia derivatives to aldehydes and ketones
In case, the medium is too acidic, the ammonia derivatives being basic in nature will form their respective ammonium salts. Due to the absence of a lone pair of electrons on the nitrogen atom, these ammonium salts will no longer be nucleophilic and hence the reaction will not occur. If the medium is only very slightly acidic, the protonation of the carbonyl group will occur. This will increase the electron deficiency [or + ve charge] on the carbon atom of the carbonyl group and hence weak nucleophiles like ammonia derivatives will be able to react.
- These important derivatives of aldehydes and ketones can be used to characterise and identify them.
II Oxidation Reactions
1. Reaction with Tollen’s reagent-
Tollen’s reagent is an ammoniacal solution of silver nitrate
Both aliphatic and aromatic aldehydes give this silver mirror test.
2. Reaction with Fehling’s solution

Aromatic aldehydes do not reduce Fehling’s solution.
Same reaction with cupric ions takes place with Benedict’s solution (citric acid instead of tartaric acid).
3. lodoform Reaction
Compounds having form yellow precipitate with
Other halogens can also be used in place of iodine and the general reaction is known as haloform reaction.
III. Reduction Reactions
1. Reduction to alcohol

2. Reduction to hydrocarbon
i. Clemmensen reduction
ii. Wolff-Kishner reduction
iii. With
IV. Other Reactions
1. Aldol Condensation
Aldehydes or ketones having

Mechanism
Step 1. In the first step, the base, i.e.
Step 2. The enolate ion being a strong nucleophile attacks the carbonyl group of the second molecule of acetaldehyde (which acts as electrophile) to form the anion (I).
Step 3. The anion (I) finally abstracts a proton from water to form aldol.
Dehydration of aldols: The products of aldol condensation when heated with dilute acids undergo dehydration leading to the formation of

Formaldehyde, benzaldehyde and benzophenone do not undergo aldol condensation since they do not contain
Cross Aldol Condensation
It takes place between two different aldehydes or between aldehyde and ketone or between two different ketones.
(a) If both have

(b) When only one reactant has

Intramolecular Aldol Condensation
If a compound contains two aldehyde / ketone groups or one aldehyde and one ketone group at 1, 6 or 1,7-positions w.r.t. each other, then the enolate ion of one carbonyl group can add to the carbonyl group of the other. This reaction is called intramolecular aldol condensation. In this reaction, first an aldol is formed which subsequently loses a molecule of

- Reaction can not take place between
and because it will give 7 membered cyclic compound which is unstable.
2. Cannizzaro Reaction :
Aldehydes which do not have

It is a hydride transfer reaction.
Cross Cannizzaro Reaction: Takes place between 2 different aldehydes.

If one of the aldehydes is formaldehyde, it always undergoes oxidation to form sodium formate.
Intramolecular Cannizzaro reaction
3. Reaction with Aluminium ethoxide (Tischenko reaction)
All aldehydes (with or without
4. Reaction with alcoholic KCN (Benzoin Condensation)

5. Reaction with Schiff’s reagent
aldehyde +
6. Reaction with Chloroform

7. Reaction with

8. Reaction with primary amines
ELECTROPHILIC SUBSTITUTION IN AROMATIC ALDEHYDES
Since aldehydic and ketonic groups are electron withdrawing, they are deactivating and m-directing
1. Halogenation

2. Nitration

3. Sulphonation

Acetophenone does not undergo Friedel Crafts reaction, due to formation of complex between
CARBOXYLIC ACIDS AND THEIR DERIVATIVES
Carboxylic acids are also called as fatty acids because some members of aliphatic series of acids (from
The number of carboxyl groups are indicated by adding the prefix di, tri etc. to the term-oic acid.
When

PREPARATION
1. From primary alcohols and aldehydes
Alcohols are oxidised to carboxylic acids using strong oxidising agents like
Aldehydes are easily oxidised to the corresponding carboxylic acids even with mild oxidising agents such as Tollen’s reagent.
RCHO
2. From alkylbenzenes
Aromatic acids are obtained by vigorous oxidation of alkylbenzenes with a number of oxidising agents such as acidic or alkaline potassium permanganate, acidified potassium dichromate [chromic acid] or even dil.

3. From nitriles and amides

4. From Grignard reagents

5. From acyl or acid halides, anhydrides and esters
PHYSICAL PROPERTIES
1. Solubility
Carboxylic acids are miscible in water due to formation of hydrogen bonds. Solubility decreases as the number of carbon atoms increases due to increased hydrophobic interactions of the hydrocarbon part.
Benzoic acid is insoluble in water since the non polar hydrocarbon part outweighs the effect of polar-COOH part.
Carboxylic acids are soluble in less polar organic solvents like benzene, ether, chloroform etc.
2. Boiling points
Boiling points of carboxylic acids are higher than hydrocarbons. Carboxylic acids form stronger hydrogen bonds than alcohols. In vapour phase and in aprotic solvents, most of the carboxylic acids exist as cyclic dimers in which two molecules of acid are held together by strong hydrogen bonds.

3. Melting points
They show oscillation / alternation effect. Melting points of an acid containing even number of carbon atoms is higher than the next higher homologue containing odd number of carbon atoms.

CHEMICAL PROPERTIES
I. Acidity - carboxylic acids are the most acidic among organic compounds but less acidic than mineral acids. They interact with water molecules as,

The ionisation (or dissociation) equilibrium of a carboxylic acid is,

The dissociation or acidity constant
The value of
Causes of Acidity - (i) Resonance effect - Delocalization of charge through resonance is the major factor responsible for large acidity of carboxylic acids when compared to alcohols.
Both acid and carboxylate ion can exist in two canonical forms

In II, there is separation of opposite charges and therefore it has more energy and is less stable than I.
III
ii) Effect of substituents : a) chloroacetic acid is 80 times stronger than acetic acid. In acetic acid the electron donating effect of methyl group destabilizes the anion. Thus acetic acid has a lower
This influence also decreases with distance of halogen from the carboxylic group and becomes ineffective when there are four or more carbon atoms in a chain.
Benzoic acid
e.g.

Carbonyl carbon in carboxyl group is less electrophilic than the carbonyl carbon in aldehydes and ketones due to resonance. The less electrophilic nature of the carbonyl carbon puts a partial positive charge on the hydroxyl 0-atom, thereby making the hydroxyl group of carboxylic acids more acidic than the hydroxyl group of alcohols and phenols.
1. Reaction with metals
2. Reaction with carbonates and bicarbonates

This reaction of carboxylic acid with
3. Reaction with alkalies
II. FORMATION OF FUNCTIONAL DERIVATIVES
1. Formation of anhydride (Action of heat in presence of
2. Formation of esters (Reaction with alcohols or phenols)

3. Formation of acid chloride (Reaction with
Thionyl chloride
4. Formation of amides (Reaction with
III. REACTIONS INVOLVING CARBOXYL [COOH] GROUP AS A WHOLE
1. Reduction
a) Reduction to alkanes
b) Reduction to alcohols
2. Decarboxylation
Using soda-lime
3. Electrolytic decarboxylation
Electrolysis of aqueous solution of sodium or potassium salts of fatty acids gives alkanes having twice the number of carbon atoms present in the alkyl group of the acid. This process is called Kolbe’s Electrolytic reaction.
At cathode : Both
4. Decarboxylation of silver salt of carboxylic acids in presence of bromine
This reaction is called Hunsdiecker reaction.
IV. Reactions of the Alkyl group Halogenation
[Hell Volhard Zelinsky (HVZ) reaction]
Carboxylic acids (except formic acid which does not contain an alkyl group) react with chlorine or bromine in presence of small quantities of red phosphorus to give exclusively

Halogenation exclusively occurs at the
V. ELECTROPHILIC SUBSTITUTION IN AROMATIC ACIDS
Since the

Carboxylic acids, however do not undergo Fridel-Crafts reactions because the carboxyl group is strongly deactivating and the catalyst
EXCEPTIONAL BEHAVIOUR OF FORMIC ACID
1. Formic acid is unique since it contains a hydrogen atom instead of an alkyl group.
2. It is regarded both as an aldehyde as well as a carboxylic acid.
3. Formic acid acts as reducing agent.
Like aldehydes, it reduces :-
a) Fehling’s solution to red precipitate
b) Tollen’s reagent to silver mirror
c) Decolourizes acidified
d) Turns
e) Reduces mercuric salts to mercurous salts
Solved Example
Question 1- Acetone is treated with excess of ethanol in the presence of hydrochloric acid. The product obtained is

Show Answer
Answer - is d

Question 2- Cyclohexene on ozonolysis followed by reaction with zinc dust and water gives compound

Show Answer
Answer - a
This is ozonolysis followed by aldol condensation
Question 3- In the given reaction sequence,

Show Answer
Answer - is

Question 4- The number of aldol reaction [s] that occurs in the given transformation is

(a) 1
(b) 2
(c) 3
(d) 4
Show Answer
Answer - is

Question 5- Which of the following combination of aldehydes gives cross Cannizzaro reaction?
a)
b)
c)
d) all of these
Show Answer
Answer - c
This is because in both a and b,
Question 6- Compound ’
(a)
(b)
(c)
(d)
Show Answer
Answer - a
Since (B) gives silver mirror test it is an aldehyde which reacts with semicarbazide and sodium acetate.
Question 7- A carbonyl compound with molecular weight 86 , does not reduce Fehling’s solution but forms crystalline bisulphite derivative and gives iodoform test. The possible compound can be
a) 2-pentanone and 3-pentanone
b) 2-pentanone and 3-methyl-2-butanone
c) 2-pentanone and pentanal
d) 3-pentanone and 3-methyl-2-butanone
Show Answer
Answer - b

Since the compound does not reduce Fehlings solution, it is a ketone and since it gives iodoform test it is a methyl ketone.
Question 8-

The compound B is

Show Answer
Answer - a

Question 9- o-Toluic acid on reaction with

Show Answer
Answer - C
Since
Question 10-. An organic compound
(a)
(b)
(c)
(d)
Show Answer
Answer - d

Question 11-. In a set of reactions, ethylbenzene yielded a product

‘D’ should be

Show Answer
Answer - a

PRACTICE QUESTIONS
Question 1- Identify the product

(a) Pentane
(b) Cyclobutane
(c) Cyclopentane
(d) Cyclopentanone
Show Answer
Answer:- aQuestion 2- Ozonolysis of an organic compound ’
(a) 2-methyl-1-pentene
(b) 1-Pentene
(c) 2-pentene
(d) 2-methylpent-2-ene
Show Answer
Answer:- dQuestion 3- Identify the product of the reaction
(a)
(b)
(c)
(d)
Show Answer
Answer:- bQuestion 4-
The reagent/s
(a)
(b)
(c)
(d)
Show Answer
Answer:- aQuestion 5- Consider the following reaction,

The product
(a)
(b)
(c)
(d)
Show Answer
Answer:- aQuestion 6- In the given reaction,


Show Answer
Answer:- aQuestion 7- Consider the structure of given alcohol :

The alcohol can be prepared from

Show Answer
Answer:- dQuestion 8- In the given reaction:
(a)
(b) Aluminium isopropoxide
(c)
(d) All of the above
Show Answer
Answer:- cQuestion 9- Which one of the combinations will give propionaldehyde on dry distillation?
(a)
(b)
(c)
(d)
Show Answer
Answer:- cQuestion 10- The reagent with which both acetaldehyde and acetone react easily is
(a) Tollen’s reagent
(b) Schiff’s reagent
(c) Grignard reagent
(d) Fehling reagent
Show Answer
Answer:- cQuestion 11- The compound that will not give iodoform on treatment with alkali and iodine is
(a) acetone
(b) ethanol
(c) diethyl ketone
(d) isopropyl alcohol
Show Answer
Answer:- cQuestion 12- Which of the following has the most acidic hydrogen?
(a) 3-hexanone
(b) 2,4-hexanedione
(c) 2,5-hexanedione
(d) 2,3-hexanedione
Show Answer
Answer:- bQuestion 13- A mixture of benzaldehyde and formaldehyde on heating with aqueous
(a) benzyl alcohol and sodium formate
(b) sodium benzoate and methyl alcohol
(c) sodium benzoate and sodium formate
(d) benzyl alcohol and methyl alcohol
Show Answer
Answer:- aQuestion 14- Butan
(a)
(b) Fehling solution
(c)
(d) Tollen’s reagent
Show Answer
Answer:- cQuestion 15- In the given reaction:

(a)
(b)
(c)
(d)
Show Answer
Answer:- bQuestion 16- In the given reaction:
(a)
(b)
(c)
(d)
Show Answer
Answer:- cQuestion 17- Base catalysed aldol condensation occurs with
(a) Propionaldehyde
(b) Benzaldehyde
(c) 2,2-dimethyl butanaldehyde
(d) 2,2-dimethyl propionaldehyde
Show Answer
Answer:- aQuestion 18- Which of the following compounds will give a yellow precipitate with iodine and alkali?
(a) 2-hydroxypropane
(b) Benzophenone
(c) Methylacetate
(d) acetamide
Show Answer
Answer:- aQuestion 19- Which of the following is an example of aldol condensation?

(c)
(d)
Show Answer
Answer:- bQuestion 20- The product of the reaction

will be

Show Answer
Answer:- aQuestion 21- Aldol condensation between acetaldehyde and propionaldehyde will give how many products?
(a) Two
(b) Four
(c) Three
(d) One
Show Answer
Answer:- bQuestion 22- In the reaction:


Show Answer
Answer:- dQuestion 23- In the scheme given below, the total number of intramolecular aldol condensation products formed from ’

(a) 1
(b) 2
(c) 3
(d) 4
Show Answer
Answer:- aQuestion 24- Predict the product in the given reaction

Show Answer
Answer:- cQuestion 25- In the cannizzaro reaction given below
(a) the attack of
(b) the transfer of hydride ion at the carbonyl group
(c) the abstraction of a proton from the carboxylic acid
(d) the deprotonation of
Show Answer
Answer:- bQuestion 26- Trichloroacetaldehyde was subjected to Cannizzaro’s reaction by using
(a) Trichloromethanol
(b) 2,2,2-Trichloropropanol
(c) Chloroform
(d) 2,2,2-Trichloroethanol
Show Answer
Answer:- dQuestion 27- If heavy water is taken as solvent instead of normal water while performing Cannizzaro reaction, the products of the reaction are
(a)
(b)
(c)
(d)
Show Answer
Answer:- bQuestion 28-

Show Answer
Answer:- bQuestion 29- A compound
(a)
(b)
(c)
(d)
Show Answer
Answer:- cQuestion 30- The order of reactivity of phenylmagnesium bromide (
I.
II.
III.
(a) III > II > I
(b) II > I > III
(c) I > III > I
(d) I > II > III
Show Answer
Answer:- dQuestion 31- During reduction of aldehydes with hydrazine and potassium hydroxide, the first step is formation of
(a)
(b)
(c)
(d)
Show Answer
Answer:- dQuestion 32- Which of the following reagent reacts differently with
(a)
(b)
(c)
(d)
Show Answer
Answer:- dQuestion 33- In the given transformation which of the following is the most appropriate reagent?

(a)
(b)
(c)
(d)
Show Answer
Answer:- aQuestion 34- The reagent used for separation of acetaldehyde and acetophenone is
(a)
(b)
(c)
(d)
Show Answer
Answer:- aQuestion 35- Consider the reaction :-
What sort of reaction is it?
(a) Electrophilic addition-elimination reaction
(b) Free radical addition-elimination reaction
(c) Nucleophilic addition reaction
(d) Nucleophilic addition-elimination reaction
Show Answer
Answer:- dQuestion 36- A compound ’

Show Answer
Answer:- aQuestion 37- Which of the following acids on heating loses a molecule of
(a)
(b)
(c)
(d)
Show Answer
Answer:- cQuestion 38- Which of the following carboxylic acid undergoes decarboxylation easily?

Show Answer
Answer:- aQuestion 39- The compound that does not liberate
(a) benzoic acid
(b) benzenesulphonic acid
(c) salicylic acid
(d) carbolic acid (Phenol)
Show Answer
Answer:- dQuestion 40- When propionic acid is treated with aqueous sodium bicarbonate,
(a) methyl group
(b) carboxylic acid group
(c) methylene group
(d) bicarbonate group
Show Answer
Answer:- dQuestion 41- Benzoyl chloride is prepared from benzoic acid by
(a)
(b)
(c)
(d)
Show Answer
Answer:- cQuestion 42- The compound that undergoes decarboxylation most readily under mild condition is

Show Answer
Answer:- bQuestion 43- Which of the following reagents may be used to distinguish between phenol and benzoic acid?
(a) Tollen’s reagent
(b) Molisch reagent
(c) Neutral
(d) Aqueous
Show Answer
Answer:- cQuestion 44- In the reaction
The product
(a) Acetaldehyde
(b) Acetylene
(c) Ethylene
(d) Acetyl chloride
Show Answer
Answer:- cQuestion 45-
the product
(a) Benzaldehyde
(b) Benzoic acid
(c) Benzene
(d) Toluene