Explain why benzaldehyde is less reactive than cyclohexanecarbaldehyde toward nucleophilic attack.
Question:
Explain why benzaldehyde is less reactive than cyclohexanecarbaldehyde toward nucleophilic attack.
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Nucleophilic Addition of Carbonyl Compounds
In a carbonyl group, a carbon atom is double bonded to an oxygen atom. The oxygen atom is electronegative and tends to pull electron density towards itself. This causes the carbon atom to bear a partial positive charge. This partially positive carbon atom is prone to attack by nucleophiles. This is the reason why aldehyde and ketones undergo nucleophilic addition with nucleophiles like amines.
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View this answerBenzaldehyde is less reactive toward nucleophilic attack because it is resonance-stabilized.
The partial positive charge on the carbon atom in the...
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Chapter 5 / Lesson 9Learn what Lewis dot structures are, how to draw Lewis dot structures and see resonance in Lewis dot structures using the benzene Lewis dot structure example.