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Cambridge International AS & A Level Chemistry – Organic Chemistry and Analysis

Topic 17
Carbonyl
Compounds

Topic 17 covers aldehydes and ketones: making them by oxidising primary and secondary alcohols, reducing them with NaBH₄ or LiAlH₄, the nucleophilic addition of HCN with its mechanism, detecting the carbonyl group with 2,4-DNPH, telling aldehydes from ketones with Fehling’s and Tollens’ reagents, and the tri-iodomethane test for the CH₃CO– group.

Exam Paper
Papers 1 & 2
9701 AS Level
Learning Outcomes
17.1.1 – 17.1.6
6 learning outcomes
Sub-topics
3 lessons
Revision notes available
Exam Board
Cambridge
9701 (2025 onwards)

Revision Notes

3 revision notes, in the order the specification teaches them.

An aldehyde beside a ketone with their C=O groups picked out
1

Aldehydes and Ketones: Structure, Naming and Properties

Aldehydes and ketones: functional groups, nomenclature and formulae, the polar carbonyl group, boiling points and solubility in water.

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A carbonyl molecule and a silver mirror test
2

Oxidation and Tests for Carbonyl Compounds

Oxidation and tests for aldehydes and ketones: Fehling’s solution, Tollens’ reagent, acidified dichromate(VI), 2,4-DNPH, iodoform test.

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A nucleophile adding to a carbon-oxygen double bond
3

Reduction and Nucleophilic Addition of Carbonyl Compounds

Carbonyl reduction with NaBH₄ or LiAlH₄ and nucleophilic addition of HCN: equations, the mechanism and the formation of hydroxynitriles.

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Summary Map

Download, print and revise the reactions of this topic at a glance.

Summary maps

Download, print and revise the reactions of this topic at a glance.

Illustration of a summary map: compounds joined by reaction arrows
Summary map · PDF

Aldehydes and Ketones Map

Cambridge International AS & A Level Chemistry · Topic 17 Carbonyl compounds

Every reaction on one A4 page: reagents, conditions and reaction type for each arrow, colour coded, with the key tests.

Download the map4 reactions · A4 landscape · print ready
Illustration of a summary map: compounds joined by reaction arrows
Summary map · PDF

Carbonyl Compounds Summary Map

Cambridge International AS & A Level Chemistry · Topic 17 Carbonyl compounds

The whole section on one A4 page: naming, making carbonyls, telling them apart, reduction, adding HCN, 2,4-DNPH and CHI₃.

Download the map6 key ideas + a data table · A4 portrait · print ready

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Revision Game

Match reagents to products, free, with your board's reagents and conditions.

Illustration of memory game cards, two turned face up as a matching pairFree

Revision Game: Aldehydes and ketones

Turn the cards over two at a time: match reagents to what they make, and find how each product is made.

A free memory game on the reactions in this topic, with your board's reagents, conditions and spec points.

  • Two ways to playMatch each set of reagents to what the reaction makes, or see a product and find the reactant and reagents that make it.
  • Drawn the way the exam draws themEvery structure is drawn in ChemDraw, with the reagents and conditions your exam board asks for.
  • It countsRounds earn XP and keep your streak going, and every correct match shows in your KASP analytics, apart from your marks.

Study Cards

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Specification

Every specification point in this topic, in the exam board's own words. Rate how confident you are with each one.

Official Cambridge documentsSyllabus (opens the Cambridge website in a new tab)

Cambridge no longer issues a data booklet: the data you need are given in each question, and the syllabus has a Data section.

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17.1.1

  1. a

    recall the reaction (reagents and conditions) by which aldehydes can be produced: the oxidation of primary alcohols using acidified K2Cr2O7 or acidified KMnO4 and distillation

    Revise
  2. b

    recall the reaction (reagents and conditions) by which ketones can be produced: the oxidation of secondary alcohols using acidified K2Cr2O7 or acidified KMnO4 and distillation

    Revise

17.1.2

  1. a i

    describe the reduction of aldehydes using NaBH4 or LiAlH4 to produce alcohols

    Revise
  2. a ii

    describe the reduction of ketones using NaBH4 or LiAlH4 to produce alcohols

    Revise
  3. b i

    describe the reaction of aldehydes with HCN, KCN as catalyst, and heat to produce hydroxynitriles as exemplified by ethanal

    Revise
  4. b ii

    describe the reaction of ketones with HCN, KCN as catalyst, and heat to produce hydroxynitriles as exemplified by propanone

    Revise

17.1.3

  1. 17.1.3

    describe the mechanism of the nucleophilic addition reactions of hydrogen cyanide with aldehydes and ketones in 17.1.2(b)

    Revise

17.1.4

  1. 17.1.4

    describe the use of 2,4-dinitrophenylhydrazine (2,4-DNPH reagent) to detect the presence of carbonyl compounds

    Revise

17.1.5

  1. a

    deduce the nature (aldehyde or ketone) of an unknown carbonyl compound from the results of the simple test with Fehling's reagent

    Revise
  2. b

    deduce the nature (aldehyde or ketone) of an unknown carbonyl compound from the results of the simple test with Tollens' reagent

    Revise
  3. c

    deduce the nature (aldehyde or ketone) of an unknown carbonyl compound from its ease of oxidation

    Revise

17.1.6

  1. 17.1.6

    deduce the presence of a CH3CO– group in an aldehyde or ketone, CH3CO–R, from its reaction with alkaline I2(aq) to form a yellow precipitate of tri-iodomethane and an ion, RCO2–

    Revise