Ketone

A ketone has the carbonyl group (C=O) bonded to two other carbons — never at the end of the chain (that would be an aldehyde). It's the functional group behind common solvents like acetone.

General formula

R–CO–R'

Naming rule

Name = main chain + suffix -one, with the carbonyl's locant when there's ambiguity (e.g., pentan-2-one vs. pentan-3-one).

Examples

NameFormula
Propanone (acetone)(CH₃)₂CO
Butan-2-oneCH₃COC₂H₅
Pentan-2-oneCH₃CO(CH₂)₂CH₃
CyclohexanoneC₆H₁₀O, ring
Build a ketone in the simulator →