The key to understanding the chemistry of aldehydes and ketones is to understand the electronic structure and properties of the carbonyl group.

The C=O double bond is very polarized because oxygen is much more electronegative than carbon. So, it is able to pull the π electrons of the C=O double bond toward itself and away from carbon. Remember, the degree of steric hindrance determines relative rates of reaction: unhindered methyl electrophiles react fastest, and more hindered secondary carbon electrophiles react slowest, assuming all other reaction conditions are identical. Bulky groups on either side of C=O block access to the electrophilic carbon, resulting in a decrease in reactivity.

This bond polarization renders the carbon atom electrophilic and accounts for two kinds of reactions of aldehydes and ketones. First, these molecules of acidic protons α (i.e. next to) the carbonyl group. An α-proton is acidic because the electrons left behind upon deprotonation can delocalize into the π system of the carbonyl. Second, the electrophilic carbon of the carbonyl group makes aldehydes and ketones susceptible to nucleophilic attack.

Due to the reactive nature of the carbonyl (C=O) group in aldehydes and ketones, substituents may be added to groups containing aldehydes and ketones to reduce the carbonyl reactivity; aldehydes and ketones with attached carbon chains may have resonance from the carbonyl group as well.

Practice Questions

Khan Academy 

Synthesis of anti-tumor drug Combretastatin and its derivatives

 MCAT Official Prep (AAMC)

Key Points

• Bulky groups like cyclic rings may be used adjacent to the carbonyl group in aldehydes and ketones to reduce the reactivity of the C=O.

• The alpha carbon can be stabilized via resonance from the C=O.

• Bulky groups on either side of C=O block access to the electrophilic carbon, resulting in a decrease in reactivity.

• An α-proton is acidic because the electrons left behind upon deprotonation can delocalize into the π system of the carbonyl.

• The electrophilic carbon of the carbonyl group makes aldehydes and ketones susceptible to nucleophilic attack.

Key Terms

Steric hindrance: The prevention or retardation of inter- or intramolecular interactions as a result of the spatial structure of a molecule.

Electronegative: A measure of the tendency of an atom to attract a bonding pair of electrons.

Carbanion: A carbon atom with a negative charge.

Deprotonation: The removal (transfer) of a proton (H⁺) from a Brønsted–Lowry acid in an acid-base reaction.

Nucleophilic attack: A fundamental class of reactions in which a leaving group is replaced by an electron-rich compound.

Carbonyl group: A functional group composed of a carbon atom double-bonded to an oxygen atom (C=O).