The vigorous oxidation of pentan-2-one with concentrated yields a mixture of two distinct carboxylic — Aldehydes Ketones and Carboxylic Acids Chemistry Question
Question
The vigorous oxidation of pentan-2-one with concentrated $HNO_3$ yields a mixture of two distinct carboxylic acids. Assuming the major cleavage pathway strictly follows Popoff's rule, what is the exact molecular mass (in g/mol) of the carboxylic acid fragment that retains the original carbonyl carbon?
Answer: 60
💡 Solution & Explanation
Pentan-2-one is $CH_3-CO-CH_2CH_2CH_3$. Popoff's rule dictates the carbonyl group ($C=O$) stays with the smaller alkyl group ($CH_3$). The fragment retaining the carbonyl carbon becomes Acetic acid ($CH_3COOH$). The molar mass of acetic acid is $(2 \times 12) + (4 \times 1) + (2 \times 16) = 60$ g/mol.
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