Which one of the following formulas represents an aldehyde?
A. C6H10O5 B. C2H4O
C. C2H5OH
D. CH3COOH
2007-02-08 08:46:33 · 2 answers · asked by tami t 1 in Education & Reference ➔ Homework Help
Aldehydes have a carbonyl group (O=CH) attached. The key to picking them out of multiple choice tests is to first pick out what *isn't* one.
First, eliminate the easier ones:
C is ethane with an OH at the end - Ethanol.
D is methane with a carboxyl group attached - ethanoic acid.
That leaves A and B. B is simpler to work on, because A is more complex.
When you look at C2H4O, notice that after taking account of the carbon single bond and the 4 hydrogen single bonds, you have to have a double bonded oxygen. That's the key to recognizing this as an aldehyde (Acetaldehyde, in fact) - it's more commonly written as CH3CHO to make it more obvious that it's an aldehyde. Thus, B is your answer.
2007-02-09 00:13:53 · answer #1 · answered by ³√carthagebrujah 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
acetaldehyde (C2H4O). 100% on the exam!
2015-05-03 01:52:00 · answer #2 · answered by ? 1 · 1⤊ 0⤋