Question

Name the simplest ketone and write its molecular formula.

Answer 1

Hint: The ketone functional group has a basic unit. The simplest ketone will have this with the minimum number of carbon atoms. The simplest ketone is used as an active ingredient in nail paint remover. It is volatile and flammable.

Complete answer:
As we all know that the ketone functional group has a basic unit. The simplest ketone is $C{H_3}COC{H_3}$. We can write its structure as

It is named acetone. It is a three carbon ketone. So, it is also called propanone. It is a colourless liquid that is volatile. It is flammable. It is the simplest and the smallest ketone. It has a characteristic pungent smell. It is polar in nature. So, it is soluble in polar solvents like water, methanol and ethanol etc.
The central carbon is trigonal planar. It has wide industrial applications. It is used as a solvent in many processes. It is used as an active ingredient in nail paint remover. It is also produced in the human body and disposed of through normal metabolic processes. It is also used to produce cyanohydrin which is a precursor to methyl methacrylate.

Note: It must be noted that ketone should contain two alkyl substituents attached at C=O carbon. Further, the ketone is non-terminal and this functional group can never be terminal. So, the simplest ketone should contain at least three carbon atoms. The propanone is named because the chain consists of three carbon atoms.