Carbonyl Compounds


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The carbonyl compounds consist of compounds that have the carbon-oxygen double bond, C=O, or the carbonyl group. There are several types of carbonyl compounds, depending on what is attached to the carbon atom in C=O.
-C=O
carbonyl group
-CHO
aldehyde group
R-CHO
aldehyde general structure
C-CO-C
keto group
R-CO-R'
ketone general structure
-COOH
carboxyl group
R-COOH
carboxylic acid general structure
The aldehyde group is often written as CHO, with the double bond being understood. The keto group is sometimes written as CO. The carboxyl group is often written as COOH or CO2H.
The aldehyde group occurs in molecules of most sugars, like glucose. The keto group occurs also in one common sugar, fructose. The carboxyl group occurs in all amino acids, the building blocks of proteins.
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