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Chemistry LibreTexts

Alpha Carbon

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An alpha (symbol: α) carbon is a carbon atom bonded to a functional group in an organic compound; the carbon atom next to the α carbon is the beta (symbol: β) carbon, and so on (α, β, γ, δ…).

eg:

alphacarbon1.png

A compound containing only one functional group may have more than one α carbon.

eg:

alphacarbon2.png

If a compound contains more than one functional group, the terms α-carbon, β-carbon, etc. are meaningful only if the functional group is specified.

eg:

alphacarbon3.png

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This page titled Alpha Carbon is shared under a All Rights Reserved (used with permission) license and was authored, remixed, and/or curated by Gamini Gunawardena via source content that was edited to the style and standards of the LibreTexts platform.

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