Consider the following carbonyl compounds: HCHO , CH ₃ CHO , and CH ₃ COCH ₃ . Which of these compounds have the highest and the lowest hydration equilibrium constants, respectively?

Step-by-step solution

The hydration of a carbonyl compound involves the nucleophilic addition of water to the carbonyl carbon to form a gem-diol. The equilibrium constant for this reaction depends on the electrophilicity of the carbonyl carbon and the steric hindrance around it. Alkyl groups exert an electron-donating inductive effect (+I effect), which decreases the positive charge on the carbonyl carbon, thereby reducing its electrophilicity. Alkyl groups also increase steric hindrance, making the nucleophilic attack more difficult an