PYQ Vault

MHT-CET Chemistry · Teaching notes

Aldehydes, Ketones and Carboxylic Acids — MHT-CET Chemistry

Aldehydes, Ketones and Carboxylic Acids is about three questions a paper in MHT-CET Chemistry and almost never HARD — one in thirty of its past-year questions. It is the chapter of named reactions: Rosenmund, Stephen and DIBAL-H for making aldehydes, the cadmium and Grignard routes to ketones, aldol and Cannizzaro, Clemmensen and Wolff–Kishner, Tollens and Schiff, and for the acids the PCl₅ and Grignard–CO₂ conversions. Around them sit the named mono-, di- and tricarboxylic acids and the IUPAC priority rule that makes COOH outrank CHO outrank OH. Five pages in the book's order. Every PYQ is tagged.

Every subtopic, worked example, formula and trap in one printable document — answers shown, ready to share.

Subtopic notes

PYQ weightage by concept

12 concepts · 111 PYQs — where the marks actually sit, so you know what to drill first

Nomenclature and Classification of Aldehydes, Ketones and Carboxylic Acids24 PYQs · 22%
ConceptPYQsShare
The Named Acids: Mono-, Di- and Tricarboxylic87%
General Formula, Simple Ketones, and the Physical Facts87%
IUPAC Priority: COOH Beats CHO Beats OH87%
Preparation of Aldehydes and Ketones30 PYQs · 27%
ConceptPYQsShare
Rosenmund, Stephen and DIBAL-H: Three Ways to an Aldehyde1413%
Grignard and Dialkylcadmium: Ketones and Alcohols1211%
Etard Reaction and Hydrolysis Routes44%
Nucleophilic Addition and Condensation Reactions15 PYQs · 14%
ConceptPYQsShare
Aldol Reaction and the Cannizzaro Reaction98%
Cyanohydrins, Hemiacetals and the Ammonia Derivatives65%
Oxidation, Reduction and Identification Tests21 PYQs · 19%
ConceptPYQsShare
Clemmensen, Wolff–Kishner and Hydride Reductions1211%
Tollens, Fehling, Schiff and the Haloform Test98%
Carboxylic Acids: Properties, Reactions and Derivatives21 PYQs · 19%
ConceptPYQsShare
Acid Chlorides, Anhydrides, Esters and Amides1211%
Boiling Points of Acids, and Making Them98%

Formula & revision sheet

11 formulas · 1 reference tables · 12 gotchas across all subtopics — the exam-eve cheat-sheet

Nomenclature and Classification of Aldehydes, Ketones and Carboxylic Acids

Formulas (2)

  • General Formula, Simple Ketones, and the Physical Facts · General formulas
    aldehyde / ketone: CnH2nO;acid: CnH2nO2\text{aldehyde / ketone: } \text{C}_n\text{H}_{2n}\text{O};\qquad \text{acid: } \text{C}_n\text{H}_{2n}\text{O}_2
  • IUPAC Priority: COOH Beats CHO Beats OH · Priority and prefixes
    COOH (parent)→CHO as ’formyl’;CHO (parent)→OH as ’hydroxy’;C=O (parent)→OH as ’hydroxy’\text{COOH (parent)} \to \text{CHO as 'formyl'};\quad \text{CHO (parent)} \to \text{OH as 'hydroxy'};\quad \text{C=O (parent)} \to \text{OH as 'hydroxy'}

Reference tables (1)

The Named Acids: Mono-, Di- and Tricarboxylic7 rows
Common nameIUPAC nameCOOH groups
Formic / acetic / propionicMethanoic / ethanoic / propanoic1
Butyric / valeric / caproicButanoic / pentanoic / hexanoic1
Valeric and caproic are MONO — the planted 'dicarboxylic' options.
Oxalic / malonic / succinicEthanedioic / propanedioic / butanedioic2
Glutaric / adipicPentanedioic / hexanedioic2
PhthalicBenzene-1,2-dicarboxylic2
The one aromatic acid on the list that is NOT mono.
Citric2-Hydroxypropane-1,2,3-tricarboxylic3
The only tricarboxylic acid asked.
Benzoic / salicylic / o-toluicBenzoic / 2-hydroxybenzoic / 2-methylbenzoic1
C1–C6 mono: F-A-P-B-V-C; C2–C6 di: O-M-S-G-A.

Watch out for (3)

Preparation of Aldehydes and Ketones

Formulas (3)

Watch out for (3)

Nucleophilic Addition and Condensation Reactions

Formulas (2)

  • Cyanohydrins, Hemiacetals and the Ammonia Derivatives · Addition then loss of water
    >C=O+H2N-Z→>C(OH)-NH-Z→−H2O>C=N-Z\text{>C=O} + \text{H}_2\text{N-Z} \to \text{>C(OH)-NH-Z} \xrightarrow{-\text{H}_2\text{O}} \text{>C=N-Z}
  • Aldol Reaction and the Cannizzaro Reaction · Aldol and Cannizzaro
    2 RCH2CHO→OH−RCH2CH(OH)CHR-CHO→ΔRCH2CH=CR-CHO;2 ArCHO→conc. OH−ArCOO−+ArCH2OH2\,\text{RCH}_2\text{CHO} \xrightarrow{\text{OH}^-} \text{RCH}_2\text{CH(OH)CHR-CHO} \xrightarrow{\Delta} \text{RCH}_2\text{CH=CR-CHO};\qquad 2\,\text{ArCHO} \xrightarrow{\text{conc. OH}^-} \text{ArCOO}^- + \text{ArCH}_2\text{OH}

Watch out for (2)

Oxidation, Reduction and Identification Tests

Formulas (2)

  • Clemmensen, Wolff–Kishner and Hydride Reductions · C=O to CH₂
    Clemmensen: Zn-Hg / conc. HCl;Wolff–Kishner: NH2NH2 then KOH / ethylene glycol\text{Clemmensen: Zn-Hg / conc. HCl};\qquad \text{Wolff–Kishner: NH}_2\text{NH}_2 \text{ then KOH / ethylene glycol}
  • Tollens, Fehling, Schiff and the Haloform Test · Tollens' reaction
    RCHO+2[Ag(NH3)2]++3OH−→RCOO−+2Ag↓+4NH3+2H2O\text{RCHO} + 2[\text{Ag(NH}_3)_2]^+ + 3\text{OH}^- \to \text{RCOO}^- + 2\text{Ag}\downarrow + 4\text{NH}_3 + 2\text{H}_2\text{O}

Watch out for (2)

Carboxylic Acids: Properties, Reactions and Derivatives

Formulas (2)

  • Boiling Points of Acids, and Making Them · Grignard to acid
    R-MgX→(i) CO2 (dry ice); (ii) H3O+R-COOH(one carbon more than R)\text{R-MgX} \xrightarrow{\text{(i) CO}_2\text{ (dry ice); (ii) H}_3\text{O}^+} \text{R-COOH} \quad (\text{one carbon more than R})
  • Acid Chlorides, Anhydrides, Esters and Amides · Derivative ↔ acid
    RCOOH→PCl5RCOCl→H2ORCOOH;RCOOR’→NaOHRCOONa→HClRCOOH\text{RCOOH} \xrightarrow{\text{PCl}_5} \text{RCOCl} \xrightarrow{\text{H}_2\text{O}} \text{RCOOH};\qquad \text{RCOOR'} \xrightarrow{\text{NaOH}} \text{RCOONa} \xrightarrow{\text{HCl}} \text{RCOOH}

Watch out for (2)