Question

Be sure to answer all parts. find the most acidic hydrogen in tert−butyl methyl ketone and write a chemical equation for the proton-transfer process that occurs on reaction with hydroxide ion. use curved arrows to show electron flow and label the acid, base, conjugate acid and conjugate base. the most acidic hydrogen is on the carbon atom. select the single best choice which shows the electron flow. 2021d 2021b 2021c 2021a draw the structures to complete the equation. draw structure ... + draw structure ... 2021base 2021acid updownharpoon draw structure ... + draw structure ... 2021conjacid 2021conjbase

Answer 1

Those Hydrogen atoms which are present at alpha position to carbonyl group are mildly acidic in nature. When such acidic proton containing carbonyl compounds are treated with strong base, they yield enolates. The negative charge created on alpha carbon resonates and shifts to carbonyl oxygen resulting in formation of carbon double bond carbon.

In tert−butyl methyl ketone there are two carbons at each alpha position. Among these two carbons only methyl carbon contains hydrogen atoms while the second one is bonded to further three carbons making it Quaternary carbon. The base abstracts proton from methyl group and enolate is formed. 

tert−butyl methyl ketone in this case acts as acid, Hydroxyl ion acts as base, while the enolate generated is the conjugate base of tert−butyl methyl ketone and Water produced is the conjugate acid of hydroxide ion.