Home › UP Board Class 12 › chemistry › Aldehydes Ketones and Carboxylic Acids › The carbonyl carbon in an aldehyde or ketone is
The carbonyl carbon in an aldehyde or ketone is
A$sp^3$ hybridised, with bond angles of $\sim 109.5^\circ$
B$sp$ hybridised, with bond angles of $180^\circ$
C$sp^2$ hybridised, with bond angles of $\sim 120^\circ$
Dpurely $p$-orbital, with no hybridisation
Answer & Solution
Correct answer: C. $sp^2$ hybridised, with bond angles of $\sim 120^\circ$
1. NCERT §8.1.2: the carbonyl carbon has THREE atoms bonded to it (the doubly-bonded O and two other atoms — in formaldehyde, two H's; in acetaldehyde, one H and one C; in acetone, two C's).
2. Three sigma bonds around the central carbon → $sp^2$ HYBRIDISATION. Three sp$^2$ hybrids lie in a plane separated by $120^\circ$.
3. The fourth (unhybridised) $p$ orbital perpendicular to the plane forms the $\pi$ bond with the oxygen.
4. Hence the carbonyl group is PLANAR, with bond angles close to $120^\circ$. Real molecules show slight distortion (e.g. $\sim 121.7^\circ$ for $\angle\mathrm{HCO}$ in formaldehyde).
5. Option A is for tetrahedral $sp^3$ carbons (alkanes). Option B is the geometry of alkynes ($sp$). Option D is wrong — bonded atoms require hybridisation.
_Source: NCERT Class 12 Chemistry Part 2, Ch 8, §8.1.2 (Structure of the Carbonyl Group), p. 4._
Related questions
When acetic acid ($\mathrm{CH_3COOH}$) is treated with $\mathrm{LiAlH_4}$ followed by aqueThe reaction of formaldehyde with concentrated NaOH is calledWhich carboxylic acid has the highest $K_a$ (i.e. is the most acidic)?DECARBOXYLATION refers to the loss of $\mathrm{CO_2}$ from a carboxylic acid (or its salt)Which compound will give a POSITIVE IODOFORM test (yellow $\mathrm{CHI_3}$ precipitate witThe acidity ($K_a$) order for the carboxylic acids $\mathrm{HCOOH}$ (formic), $\mathrm{CH_In the ALDOL CONDENSATION, two carbonyl compounds (containing $\alpha$-hydrogens) react inWhich of these aldehydes will UNDERGO the Cannizzaro reaction (disproportionation under co