NEET 2006 Chemistry question

A carbonyl compound reacts with hydrogen cyanide to form cyanohydrin which on hydrolysis forms a racemic mixture of -hydroxy acid. The carbonyl compound is:

(1)AcetaldehydeCorrect
(2)Acetone
(3)diethyl ketone
(4)Formaldehyde

Answer: (1)

Solution

For the -hydroxy acid to be a racemic mixture, it must contain a chiral carbon, i.e. the carbonyl carbon must end up with four different groups (H, OH, COOH and an alkyl group). This happens only with an aldehyde of type RCHO where R is not H. Acetaldehyde: \xrightarrow{HCN}$

See the full step-by-step solution

Create a free account to read the complete working, and practise questions like this in a timed test.

Create a free account

Question ID VK-089605