BRAINCAKENucleophilic Addition Mechanism
Aldehydes and ketones react by nucleophilic addition. The C=O bond is polar: the carbon is δ+ and the oxygen is δ−. A nucleophile (an electron pair donor) is attracted to the δ+ carbon, and two species join to make one product, so it is an addition.
The mechanism, using NaBH4 (nucleophile H−):
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More in Aldehydes and Ketones
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All 9 lessons in Aldehydes and Ketones · All AQA A-level Chemistry topics