1. Nucleophilic addition reactions to the carbonyl group (C=O) of aldehydes and ketones are common. The carbonyl carbon is electrophilic due to the electron-withdrawing oxygen atoms.
2. Common reactants that undergo nucleophilic addition to the carbonyl group include alcohols, thiols, amines, and enolates/enols. The reaction can be acid-catalyzed or base-catalyzed depending on the nucleophile.
3. Important reactions include hydration, hydroxylamine and phenylhydrazine additions, aldol condensation, Cannizzaro reaction, Wittig reaction, Reformatsky reaction