Dykets

Dykets is a term encountered in speculative chemistry and some science-fiction world-building that refers to a hypothetical class of organic molecules containing two ketone functional groups within a single molecule. In mainstream chemistry the corresponding and widely accepted term is diketones, and dykets is not a standard IUPAC category.

Conceptual definitions vary; common motifs imagined include 1,2-diketo, 1,3-diketo arrangements, and they may appear in acyclic chains or as fused or bridged rings. The distinguishing feature of the imagined class is the presence of two carbonyl groups that can participate in enolization and carbon–carbon bond formation, potentially with enhanced reactivity due to proximity or conjugation of carbonyls.

Proposed properties in speculative contexts include moderate to high polarity, diverse boiling points, and reactivity patterns typical of ketones, such as nucleophilic additions at the carbonyl carbon and enol–keto tautomerism. Synthesis methods are often left unspecified in fiction; real-world analogs would require controlled oxidation steps or successive acylations of prefunctionalized backbones.

Applications in speculative settings range from serving as versatile building blocks in imagined polymers or dyes to acting as reactive intermediates in fictional chemical processes. Because dykets are not a standardized chemical class, properties and uses are highly scenario-dependent.

See also: Ketone, Diketone, Organic chemistry, Reaction mechanisms, Conjugated systems.