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Glite Dictionary
carbonyl group

carbonyl group

6.3
A part of a molecule where carbon joins oxygen by a double bond, found in aldehydes and ketones
  • noun
  • /ˈkɑːrbəˌnɪl ɡruːp/
  • Specialized
translation icon : grupo carbonilo
  • In ketones, the carbonyl group is located within the carbon chain, unlike aldehydes.

Examples

  • Then we're at the top, we get we get a carbonyl group right?

  • But now that's rather like a carbonyl group, right?

  • There's an extra carbonyl group with on an amide.

  • And then we've got a carbonyl group that's joined to an amine and then the other alpha carbon are two.

  • The ultraviolet rays activate such bonds to form free radicals, which then react further with oxygen in the atmosphere, producing carbonyl groups in the main chain.

    Blog text (19)

  • The carbonyl group in aldehydes is responsible for their distinctive odor.

  • Chemical reactions that involve the carbonyl group often produce alcohols as a byproduct.

Synonyms

carbonyl
vscarbonyl group
  • Specialized
1 6.8

A group of atoms with a carbon atom double-bonded to an oxygen atom

is the divalent form of that bond and mentions examples like aldehydes and ketones

Surface Forms

carbonyl group singular
carbonyl groups plural

Morphology

carbonyl + group

The noun phrase is compositionally built from 'carbonyl' (C=O functional group) and 'group' (a bonded assembly), so its meaning as the carbonyl functional group is directly derivable from the constituents. This follows standard scientific naming conventions and would be immediately understandable to learners who already know the technical constituent meanings.

Etymology

The name carbonyl group comes from the words carbon and oxygen and paints a simple picture: a carbon atom double-bonded to an oxygen atom. So the term means the 'CO' part that appears in many molecules.