The discussion revolves around the saturation of ketones, specifically acetone (CH3COCH3), in the context of a chemistry exam question regarding the number of hydrogen moles required to react with acetone to form a saturated compound. The scope includes theoretical considerations of chemical saturation and reactions involving acetone.
Participants express differing views on whether acetone is saturated and how many moles of hydrogen are needed for saturation. There is no consensus on the correct interpretation of the exam question or the saturation status of acetone.
The discussion highlights potential confusion regarding the definitions of saturation in organic chemistry, particularly in relation to functional groups and the context of the exam question. The degree of unsaturation is also mentioned but not fully resolved in terms of its implications for saturation.
That's what has come in my mind during the exam , and I wrote 0 hydrogen moles , but when I saw the ministry of education's official model answer they wrote 1 mole for acetone and 6 moles for diphenyl , and won't it (acetone) form secondary alcohol when it reacts with hydrogen ?Borek said:I would not apply term "saturated" to other bonds than carbon-carbon ones (so I would consider acetone to be saturated). That doesn't stop it from reacting with hydrogen and producing a saturated alkane.
So the last answer is ? and can I know what is your educational background ?Borek said:I think the question is a bit confusing. At the same time the answer given is hardly incorrect - secondary alcohol is a saturated compound, so 1 mole is enough.
Well , thanks but that's so confusing ...Ygggdrasil said:When going from a chemical formula (e.g. CH3COCH3) to a structural formula, it is often useful to calculate the degree of unsaturation, which tells you how many pi bonds/rings are present in the compound. Acetone has a degree of unsaturation of 1, indicating that there is one double bond or ring in the molecule.