The smallest ketone contains
A two carbon atoms. B three carbon atoms. C one carbon atom. D four carbon atoms.
The correct answer and explanation is:
The correct answer is A) two carbon atoms.
A ketone is a type of organic compound characterized by a carbonyl group (C=O) bonded to two other carbon atoms. In the simplest ketone, acetone (CH3COCH3), the carbonyl group is attached to two methyl groups (CH3). Acetone is the smallest possible ketone, consisting of just three atoms of carbon in total (two carbon atoms in the methyl groups and one in the carbonyl group).
Ketones are classified based on the number of carbon atoms attached to the carbonyl group. The smallest ketone, acetone, has the formula C3H6O, with two carbon atoms attached to the carbonyl group. Other ketones have larger molecules with longer carbon chains. For example, butanone (C4H8O) is a ketone with four carbon atoms.
Ketones differ from aldehydes, which also contain a carbonyl group but have at least one hydrogen atom attached to the carbonyl carbon. In contrast, ketones have two carbon atoms bonded to the carbonyl carbon. The simplest aldehyde, formaldehyde, has only one carbon atom, while the simplest ketone (acetone) has two.
Therefore, the answer to the question is that the smallest ketone contains two carbon atoms.