alleryStart learning →Where does the carbonyl group sit in a ketone?
AAt the end of the chain
BIn the middle of the chain
COn a branch off the chain
DNext to a hydroxyl group
Answer & Solution
Correct answer: B. In the middle of the chain
1. A carbonyl group is a carbon atom joined to an oxygen atom by a double bond.
2. Where that group sits along the chain decides which homologous series the compound belongs to.
3. In an aldehyde the carbonyl group sits at the end of the chain, so its carbon also carries a hydrogen atom.
4. In a ketone the carbonyl group sits in the middle of the chain, so its carbon carries no hydrogen atom.
5. A hydroxyl group next to the carbonyl group would make the compound a carboxylic acid instead.
_Source: Siyavula Physical Sciences Grade 12 (Everything Science, CC BY 4.0), Chapter 4: Organic molecules_
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