What is Carbonyl?
[[File:carbonyl-general.png|150px|thumb|right|Carbonyl group]] A '''carbonyl''' is the group C=O in a [[molecule]]. It is a [[carbon]] and an [[oxygen]] atom with a [[double bond]] between them. Carbon has another two bonds, which can in general be with any other group. For example, a carbonyl is the C=O bit of a [[ketone]], [[aldehyde]] or [[ester]]. Because oxygen is more [[electronegative]] than carbon, the [[electrons]] in the bond are more towards it. This means that in [[acid]], a [[proton]] will go on the oxygen atom. Both the carbon and the oxygen in the group are sp<sup>2</sup> [[Orbital hybridization|hybridized]]. The carbonyl is a very important [[functional group]], because chemists can do many [[chemical reaction|reactions]] with it. It is easy to do [[nucleophilic addition]]s to it, which makes the molecule bigger. It is also easy to do [[redox]] reactions, for example forming an [[alcohol]]. The alcohol then is also a very useful group. Carbonyls are found in many natural substances and also in [[drug]]s and medicines. It is easy to check if a carbonyl is in a molecule. It gives a very strong signal in [[infrared spectroscopy]]. In carbon [[NMR spectroscopy]], the signal is usually at very high [[frequency]], away from many other peaks. {{Functional group}} [[Category:Functional groups]]