Chemistry · Aldehyde and Ketones: Nature of carbonyl group, nucleophilic addition to >C=O group, relative reactivities of aldehydes and ketones

The addition compound obtained by treating propanone with hydrogen cyanide is:

The addition compound obtained by treating propanone with hydrogen cyanide is:

  • A. propene cyanohydrin
  • B. ethene cyanohydrin
  • C. propane cyanohydrin
  • D. ethane cyanohydrin

Step-by-step solution

Propanone (acetone) reacts with HCN via nucleophilic addition to form a cyanohydrin. The product has a three-carbon chain, so it is named as a derivative of propane, specifically propane cyanohydrin (common name: acetone cyanohydrin). The other options refer to compounds with different carbon chain lengths or unsaturation.
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