For organic compounds, the length of the C–O bond does not vary widely from 120
picometers. Inorganic carbonyls have shorter C–O distances:
CO, 113;
CO2, 116; and
COCl2, 116 pm. The carbonyl carbon is typically
electrophilic. A qualitative order of electrophilicity is RCHO (aldehydes) > R2CO (ketones) > RCO2R' (esters) > RCONH2 (amides). A variety of nucleophiles attack, breaking the carbon-oxygen
double bond. Interactions between carbonyl groups and other substituents were found in a study of
collagen. Substituents can affect carbonyl groups by addition or subtraction of electron density by means of a
sigma bond. Δ
Hσ values are much greater when the substituents on the carbonyl group are more electronegative than carbon. The
pKa values of
acetaldehyde and
acetone are 16.7 and 19 respectively, ==Spectroscopy==