1.

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

Answer»

formaldehyde
acetaldehyde
acetone
diethyl ketone

Solution :Acetaldehyde CYANOHYDRIN `CH_(3) overset(**)(C)H(OH)CN and `lactic ACID `(CH_(3)overset(**)(C)HOHCOOH)` which it gives on hydrolysis contain a chiral carbon and hence exist as racemic MIXTURES. All other compounds are symmetrical and hence their cyanohydrins and the corresponding `alpha`-hydroxy acids are not optically active because they do not contain a chiral carbon.


Discussion

No Comment Found

Related InterviewSolutions