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21.1: Relative Acidity of alpha-Hydrogens

  • Page ID
    183136
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    Acidity of Alpha Hydrogens

    Alkyl hydrogen atoms bonded to a carbon atom in a a (alpha) position relative to a carbonyl group display unusual acidity. While the pKa values for alkyl C-H bonds is typically on the order of 40-50, pKa values for these alpha hydrogens is more on the order of 19-20. This can most easily be explained by resonance stabilization of the product carbanion, as illustrated in the diagram below.

    alt

    In the presence of a proton source, the product can either revert back into the starting ketone or aldehyde or can form a new product, the enol. The equilibrium reaction between the ketone or aldehyde and the enol form is commonly referred to as "keto-enol tautomerism". The ketone or aldehyde is generally strongly favored in this reaction.

    Because carbonyl groups are sp2 hybridized the carbon and oxygen both have unhybridized p orbitals which can overlap to form the C=O \(\pi\) bond.

    1.jpg

    The presence of these overlapping p orbitals gives \(\alpha\) hydrogens (Hydrogens on carbons adjacent to carbonyls) special properties. In particular, \(\alpha\) hydrogens are weakly acidic because the conjugate base, called an enolate, is stabilized though conjugation with the \(\pi\) orbitals of the carbonyl. The effect of the carbonyl is seen when comparing the pKa for the \(\alpha\) hydrogens of aldehydes (~16-18), ketones (~19-21), and esters (~23-25) to the pKa of an alkane (~50).

    2.jpg

    Of the two resonance structures of the enolate ion the one which places the negative charge on the oxygen is the most stable. This is because the negative change will be better stabilized by the greater electronegativity of the oxygen.

    Relative Acidity of Alpha Hydrogens

    The acidity of alpha hydrogens varies by carbonyl functional group as shown in the table below. Evaluating the stability of the conjugate bases can explain the differences in the relative acidity of the alpha hydrogens.

    ch 23 sect 1 example 1.png

    Exercise

    1. Draw the bond line structure for each compound in the table above including all relevant resonance forms to explain the relative acidity.

    Answer

    1.

    ch 23 sect 1 exercise solution.png

    Contributors and Attributions

    Contributors and Attributions

    Prof. Steven Farmer (Sonoma State University)

    • Clarke Earley (Department of Chemistry, Kent State University Stark Campus)


    21.1: Relative Acidity of alpha-Hydrogens is shared under a CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 license and was authored, remixed, and/or curated by LibreTexts.