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Which aldehydes dissolve in water most easily?
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aldehyde
Alcohols may be oxidized to give aldehydes, ketones, and carboxylic acids. The oxidation of organic compounds generally increases the number of bonds from carbon to oxygen, and it may decrease the number of bonds to hydrogen.
Aldehydes with fewer than approximately five carbon atoms are the most soluble in water.
The solubility of these low-molecular-weight aldehydes is primarily due to the formation of hydrogen bonds between the oxygen atom of the carbonyl group and the hydrogen atoms of water molecules. As the number of carbon atoms increases beyond this threshold, the hydrocarbon portion of the molecule becomes larger and more hydrophobic, which renders the compound insoluble in water.1