Here are the previous year questions on aldehydes and ketones, along with their answers:
### One-Mark Questions with Answers:
1. **What is the IUPAC name of formaldehyde?**
**Answer:** Methanal
2. **Write the structure of acetone.**
**Answer:** CH₃COCH₃
3. **What is the functional group present in aldehydes?**
**Answer:** -CHO
4. **Name the reagent used for the oxidation of aldehydes to carboxylic acids.**
**Answer:** Potassium permanganate (KMnO₄)
5. **What is the product of the reduction of propanal with NaBH₄?**
**Answer:** Propanol
6. **What is Tollen’s reagent used for?**
**Answer:** To distinguish aldehydes from ketones. Aldehydes reduce Tollen's reagent to
silver, forming a silver mirror.
7. **Write the structure of benzaldehyde.**
**Answer:** C₆H₅CHO
8. **Which has a higher boiling point, aldehydes or ketones of similar molecular mass?**
**Answer:** Ketones
9. **What is the IUPAC name of acetaldehyde?**
**Answer:** Ethanal
10. **What type of reaction is the Cannizzaro reaction?**
**Answer:** Disproportionation reaction
11. **Write the formula of butanone.**
**Answer:** CH₃COCH₂CH₃
12. **What is the reagent for nucleophilic addition to carbonyl groups?**
**Answer:** Grignard reagent
13. **Which test can distinguish between acetone and acetaldehyde?**
**Answer:** Fehling’s test
14. **What happens when formaldehyde is treated with ammoniacal silver nitrate?**
**Answer:** A silver mirror is formed due to the reduction of silver ions.
15. **What is the product of the reaction between benzaldehyde and HCN?**
**Answer:** Benzyl cyanide
16. **What is the general formula of a ketone?**
**Answer:** R₂CO
17. **Name the compound formed by the oxidation of ethanol.**
**Answer:** Ethanal (acetaldehyde)
18. **What is the functional group in ketones?**
**Answer:** >C=O (Carbonyl group)
19. **Which reagent is used to test for methyl ketones?**
**Answer:** Iodoform test
20. **What is the product of the reaction of aldehydes with hydroxylamine?**
**Answer:** Aldoxime
21. **Write the structure of acetophenone.**
**Answer:** C₆H₅COCH₃
22. **Which is more reactive towards nucleophiles, aldehydes or ketones?**
**Answer:** Aldehydes
23. **What is the major product of the aldol condensation of acetaldehyde?**
**Answer:** 3-Hydroxybutanal
24. **What type of reaction is the formation of a Schiff base?**
**Answer:** Condensation reaction
25. **What is the product of the oxidation of acetone?**
**Answer:** Acetic acid and formic acid (via cleavage)
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### Five-Mark Questions with Answers:
1. **Explain the mechanism of nucleophilic addition reactions in aldehydes and ketones.**
**Answer:** The carbonyl group in aldehydes and ketones is polar due to the difference in
electronegativity between carbon and oxygen. The carbonyl carbon is electrophilic, making
it susceptible to nucleophilic attack. The mechanism typically involves two steps:
- **Nucleophilic Attack:** The nucleophile attacks the electrophilic carbon of the
carbonyl group, leading to the formation of a tetrahedral intermediate.
- **Protonation:** The oxygen in the intermediate is protonated, forming the final
product, usually an alcohol or a derivative.
Example: Addition of HCN to acetone forms 2-hydroxy-2-methylpropanenitrile.
2. **Describe the Aldol Condensation and its significance in organic synthesis.**
**Answer:** Aldol condensation involves the reaction of two aldehyde or ketone
molecules in the presence of a base to form a β-hydroxy aldehyde or ketone (aldol). For
example, acetaldehyde undergoes aldol condensation to form 3-hydroxybutanal. The aldol
product can dehydrate to form an α,β-unsaturated carbonyl compound. This reaction is
significant in organic synthesis as it helps in the formation of carbon-carbon bonds,
leading to the creation of larger and more complex molecules.
3. **Compare and contrast the reactivity of aldehydes and ketones towards nucleophilic
addition reactions.**
**Answer:** Aldehydes are generally more reactive than ketones towards nucleophilic
addition due to both electronic and steric factors:
- **Electronic:** In ketones, the two alkyl groups donate electron density to the carbonyl
carbon, reducing its electrophilicity compared to aldehydes, which have only one alkyl
group.
- **Steric:** The two bulky alkyl groups in ketones hinder the approach of nucleophiles,
making nucleophilic attack more difficult compared to aldehydes.
4. **Discuss the mechanism of the Cannizzaro reaction and give an example.**
**Answer:** The Cannizzaro reaction is a redox disproportionation reaction where a non-
enolizable aldehyde (one without α-hydrogens) reacts with a strong base to form a
carboxylate ion and an alcohol. The mechanism involves:
- **Step 1:** Nucleophilic attack of the hydroxide ion (OH⁻) on the carbonyl carbon,
forming a tetrahedral intermediate.
- **Step 2:** A hydride ion (H⁻) is transferred from one aldehyde molecule to another,
leading to the formation of an alcohol and a carboxylate ion.
Example: In the reaction of formaldehyde with NaOH, methanol and sodium formate are
produced.
5. **Explain the role of Fehling’s solution and Tollen’s reagent in distinguishing between
aldehydes and ketones.**
**Answer:**
Tollen’s Reagent: It contains silver nitrate in ammonia (Ag(NH₃)₂⁺). Aldehydes reduce
Tollen’s reagent, forming metallic silver, which deposits as a mirror on the test tube.
Ketones do not react.
Fehling’s Solution: It contains copper(II) ions in an alkaline solution. Aldehydes reduce
Fehling’s solution to a red precipitate of copper(I) oxide (Cu₂O), while ketones do not react.
