So are alpha carbons different that alpha hydrogens? because some stuff shows the alpha carbon right under the ketone but the alpha hydrogen under the beta carbon.
Umm alpha carbon hydrogen question
- Thread starter Benman44
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Alpha hydrogens are attached to alpha carbons, beta hydrogens on beta carbons, and so forth. The alpha carbon is the carbon attached to the carbonyl carbon. These are named so respective to the functional group.
Consider the product of an aldol condensation, which is termed alpha-beta unsaturated, because the double bond is between the alpha and beta carbons.
It is incorrect to call the carbon "below" the ketone, ie the carbonyl carbon the alpha carbon, if the ketone is the only functional group present. Could you supply the source from where you saw this? I believe you may have seen something like the product a claisen condensation, where the ketone is beta to the ester or something similar (beta keto), in which case the ketone carbonyl could be named alpha, beta, etc, because it is respective to the ester functional group.
Consider the product of an aldol condensation, which is termed alpha-beta unsaturated, because the double bond is between the alpha and beta carbons.
It is incorrect to call the carbon "below" the ketone, ie the carbonyl carbon the alpha carbon, if the ketone is the only functional group present. Could you supply the source from where you saw this? I believe you may have seen something like the product a claisen condensation, where the ketone is beta to the ester or something similar (beta keto), in which case the ketone carbonyl could be named alpha, beta, etc, because it is respective to the ester functional group.
