One mole of an organic compound is found to require only `0.5 mol` of oxygen to produce an acid. Which class of compounds does the starting material belong to ?

Options

A. Alcohol
B. Ether
C. Ketone
D. Aldehyde

Answer

To determine the class of compounds to which the starting material belongs, we can analyze the information given in the question step by step.

### Step 1: Understand the Reaction
The question states that one mole of an organic compound requires 0.5 moles of oxygen to produce an acid. This indicates that the organic compound is undergoing oxidation.

**Hint:** Consider the general reaction of oxidation for different organic compounds.

### Step 2: Identify the Product
The product formed is an acid. The question does not specify which type of acid, but we can infer that it is likely a carboxylic acid since that is a common product of oxidation reactions.

**Hint:** Recall the common types of acids that can be formed from organic compounds.

### Step 3: Relate the Reactant to the Product
From organic chemistry, we know that the oxidation of aldehydes (RCHO) typically produces carboxylic acids (RCOOH). The reaction can be represented as follows:
\[ \text{RCHO} + 0.5 \, \text{O}_2 \rightarrow \text{RCOOH} \]

**Hint:** Think about how many moles of oxygen are needed to oxidize different types of organic compounds.

### Step 4: Analyze the Amount of Oxygen Required
The fact that only 0.5 moles of oxygen are required suggests that the starting material is likely an aldehyde. This is because aldehydes require less oxygen for oxidation compared to alcohols or other functional groups.

**Hint:** Compare the stoichiometry of oxygen required for different classes of organic compounds during oxidation.

### Step 5: Conclusion
Since the question asks which class of compounds the starting material does not belong to, and we have established that aldehydes can be oxidized to carboxylic acids with 0.5 moles of oxygen, we can conclude that the starting material does not belong to the class of aldehydes.

**Final Answer:** The starting material does not belong to the class of aldehydes.