ketone

From German Keton, from Aketon (“acetone”), from French acétone (“acetone”). See acetone.

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˈkiːtəʊn/
• (General American) IPA^(key): /ˈkitoʊn/

• Audio (US):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -iːtəʊn

ketone (plural ketones)

1. (organic chemistry) A homologous series of organic molecules whose functional group is an oxygen atom joined to a carbon atom—by a double bond—in a carbon-hydrogen based molecule.
   • acetone R₁ = R₂ = CH₃
   • methyl ethyl ketone R₁ = CH₃, R₂ = C₂H₅
   • camphor C₁₀H₁₇O

• aldehyde
• tautomerism

• “ketone”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC.
• Douglas Harper (2001–2025) “ketone”, in Online Etymology Dictionary.

• Keeton