Vapours of pure acetic acid () are passed over heated catalyst at to yield a principal carbonyl comp — Aldehydes Ketones and Carboxylic Acids Chemistry Question
Question
Vapours of pure acetic acid ($CH_3COOH$) are passed over heated $MnO$ catalyst at $300^\circ C$ to yield a principal carbonyl compound. What is the total number of $\alpha$ -hydrogens present in one molecule of this principal product?
Answer: 6
💡 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.
💬Ask on WhatsApp →
Still have doubts about this question?
Send it to our AI chemistry tutor on WhatsApp — gets answered in minutes