Vapours of pure acetic acid () are passed over heated catalyst at to yield a principal carbonyl comp — Aldehydes Ketones and Carboxylic Acids Chemistry Question

💡 Solution & Explanation

Passing acetic acid vapours over $MnO/300^\circ C$ induces bimolecular decarboxylative condensation: $2 CH_3COOH \rightarrow CH_3COCH_3 + CO_2 + H_2O$. The product is Acetone, which possesses two methyl groups attached to the carbonyl, giving $3 + 3 = 6$ $\alpha$ -hydrogens.