Aldoketene

/ˌɔldoʊˈkɛtiːn/ noun

Definition

A rare organic compound combining aldehyde and ketene functional groups, of mainly theoretical interest in organic chemistry.

Etymology

From aldo- (aldehyde) plus ketene (a type of unstable organic compound with a C=C=O structure). Formed in 20th-century synthetic chemistry terminology.

Kelly Says

Aldoketenes are chemistry's equivalent of rare Pokémon—they're so unstable and fleeting that chemists have mostly encountered them as fleeting intermediates during reactions, making them more theoretical curiosities than practical compounds.

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