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Q.Which of the following is most reactive in nucleophilic addition reactions ? (A) HCHOHCHO (B) CH3CHOCH_3CHO (C) CH3COCH3CH_3COCH_3 (D) CH3COC2H5CH_3COC_2H_5

CBSECBSE Class XII Board 2023MCQ· 1mImportance★★★★★
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Nucleophilic addition to carbonyls is controlled by steric hindrance and electronic effects; formaldehyde (HCHOHCHO) has the least steric hindrance and strongest electrophilic carbon, making it the most reactive. The correct option is (A).

Nucleophilic addition to a carbonyl group (C=O\ce{C=O}) is the fundamental reaction of aldehydes and ketones. A nucleophile attacks the electrophilic carbonyl carbon, and the key question is: what makes that carbon more or less attractive to an incoming nucleophile? Two factors dominate: steric hindrance around the carbonyl carbon, and electronic effects (inductive and hyperconjugative) that stabilise or destabilise the carbonyl.

Let’s examine each compound in the list.

  1. Steric hindrance

    The nucleophile must physically approach the carbonyl carbon. If bulky groups are attached to it, they block the path.

    • In HCHOHCHO (formaldehyde), the carbonyl carbon is attached to two hydrogen atoms — the smallest possible substituents. There is almost no steric barrier.
    • In CH3CHOCH_3CHO (acetaldehyde), one hydrogen is replaced by a methyl group. That methyl is larger than hydrogen, so approach is slightly hindered.
    • In CH3COCH3CH_3COCH_3 (acetone), both substituents are methyl groups. The carbonyl carbon is now flanked by two bulky groups, making it significantly more crowded.
    • In CH3COC2H5CH_3COC_2H_5 (butanone, or ethyl methyl ketone), one methyl is replaced by an ethyl group — even bulkier. This is the most sterically hindered of the four.

    So purely on steric grounds, reactivity order is: HCHO>CH3CHO>CH3COCH3>CH3COC2H5HCHO > CH_3CHO > CH_3COCH_3 > CH_3COC_2H_5.

  2. Electronic effects

    Alkyl groups are electron-donating via the inductive effect (+I) and hyperconjugation. They push electron density toward the carbonyl carbon, making it less electrophilic (less positive). More alkyl groups = more electron donation = lower reactivity toward nucleophiles.

    • HCHOHCHO has zero alkyl groups — the carbonyl carbon is the most electron-deficient.
    • CH3CHOCH_3CHO has one alkyl group — slightly less electrophilic.
    • CH3COCH3CH_3COCH_3 and CH3COC2H5CH_3COC_2H_5 each have two alkyl groups, so they are the least electrophilic. (The ethyl group is slightly more electron-donating than methyl, but the difference is small; both are much less reactive than HCHOHCHO.) …

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