Why are alpha hydrogens far more acidic than ordinary C-H bonds?

• Because the carbonyl carbon is positively charged forever
• Because the resulting anion delocalises onto oxygen
• Because alpha carbons carry extra hydrogens

What is an enolate?

• An anion with its charge shared between carbon and oxygen
• A neutral molecule with two carbonyl groups
• A cation sitting on the alpha carbon

For a simple ketone, the keto form dominates the enol by a huge margin.

Circle one:   True   False

You need every molecule deprotonated before the next step. Which base do you pick?

• A weak base that sets a small equilibrium
• No base at all, since enols form alone
• A strong hindered base that finishes the job

Why does a diketone hold far more enol than a simple ketone?

• Because it has no alpha hydrogens at all
• Because a second carbonyl helps share the load
• Because diketones cannot form keto forms

An unsymmetrical ketone meets a bulky base. Which hydrogen is grabbed?

• The more exposed one
• The most buried one
• A hydrogen on the oxygen

A student uses a weak base but plans as if all ketone became enolate. What goes wrong?

• Nothing, since weak bases always finish deprotonation
• Only a small equilibrium concentration forms, so the product plan fails
• The ketone turns entirely into enol instead

You want the more substituted enolate of an unsymmetrical ketone. What conditions do you choose?

• A bulky base for a fast grab
• A small base with time to equilibrate
• A strong acid instead of any base