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Q.The formation of cyanohydrin from an aldehyde is an example of:
(A) nucleophilic addition
(B) electrophilic addition
(C) nucleophilic substitution
(D) electrophilic substitution

CBSECBSE Class XII Board 2024MCQ· 1mImportance★★★★★
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Cyanohydrin formation involves the cyanide ion (CNX−\ce{CN^-}) attacking the electrophilic carbonyl carbon of an aldehyde — a textbook case of nucleophilic addition. The answer is (A).

Why this is nucleophilic addition

The carbonyl group (C=O\ce{C=O}) in aldehydes is polarized: oxygen is more electronegative than carbon, so the carbon carries a partial positive charge (δ+\delta^+) and becomes electron-deficient. This makes it a prime target for nucleophiles — species that are electron-rich and "love" positive centers.

When we treat an aldehyde with a source of cyanide ion (typically HCN\ce{HCN} or NaCN\ce{NaCN}), the CNX−\ce{CN^-} acts as a nucleophile. It donates its electron pair to the carbonyl carbon, and the π\pi-bond of the carbonyl breaks, with both electrons moving onto the oxygen. The result? A new C−CN\ce{C-CN} bond forms, and we add two groups across the original double bond — the hallmark of an addition reaction.

The key distinction: nothing leaves the molecule. In substitution reactions, one group replaces another; here, we're simply adding to the existing structure.

Step-by-step mechanism

  1. Generation of the nucleophile In aqueous or alcoholic medium, HCN\ce{HCN} dissociates (or NaCN\ce{NaCN} provides) the cyanide ion:

HCN⇌HX++CNX−\ce{HCN <=> H^+ + CN^-}

The CNX−\ce{CN^-} is a strong nucleophile with a lone pair on carbon.

  1. Nucleophilic attack on the carbonyl carbon The cyanide ion attacks the electrophilic carbonyl carbon of the aldehyde:

R−CHO+CNX−→R−CH(OX−)−CN\ce{R-CHO + CN^- -> R-CH(O^-)-CN}

The π\pi-electrons of the C=O\ce{C=O} bond shift entirely onto oxygen, forming an alkoxide intermediate (OX−\ce{O^-}).

  1. Protonation of the alkoxide The negatively charged oxygen picks up a proton from the medium (from HCN\ce{HCN}, water, or the solvent):

R−CH(OX−)−CN+HX+→R−CH(OH)−CN\ce{R-CH(O^-)-CN + H^+ -> R-CH(OH)-CN}

This gives the final cyanohydrin, which contains both a hydroxyl group (−OH\ce{-OH}) and a nitrile group (−CN\ce{-CN}) on the same carbon. …

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