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Which is more acidic- Aldehyde or Ketone? Explain with proper reasoning and chemical equations.

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Aldehydes and ketones are both carbonyl compounds, containing a carbon-oxygen double bond  C=O . However, they differ in the groups attached to the carbonyl carbon. In aldehydes, there is at least one hydrogen atom attached to the carbonyl carbon, while in ketones, there are two alkyl groups attached to the carbonyl carbon.When comparing the acidity of aldehydes and ketones, we need to consider the stability of the conjugate base formed after deprotonation. The more stable the conjugate base, the more acidic the compound.Aldehyde:RCHO + B-  RCO- + BH  B- is a generic base Ketone:RCOR' + B-  RC O- R' + BHIn both cases, the conjugate base formed is an alkoxide ion  RCO- or RC O- R' . The stability of these ions depends on the electron-donating or electron-withdrawing nature of the groups attached to the carbonyl carbon.In aldehydes, there is a hydrogen atom attached to the carbonyl carbon, which is neither electron-donating nor electron-withdrawing. In ketones, there are two alkyl groups attached to the carbonyl carbon, which are electron-donating due to the inductive effect. The electron-donating nature of the alkyl groups in ketones makes the negative charge on the oxygen atom in the conjugate base less stable compared to the conjugate base of aldehydes.Therefore, aldehydes are generally more acidic than ketones due to the greater stability of their conjugate base. However, it is important to note that both aldehydes and ketones are weak acids, and their acidity is much lower than that of carboxylic acids or other acidic functional groups.

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