oxogroep

An oxogroep, in chemistry, refers to a functional group that contains an oxygen atom double-bonded to another atom, most commonly carbon. Its most familiar form is the carbonyl group, represented as C=O, which is central to many organic compounds and reactions.

In terms of structure and properties, the oxogroep is typically highly polar, with the oxygen bearing a partial negative charge and the carbon carrying a partial positive charge. The carbonyl carbon is electrophilic, making it susceptible to nucleophilic attack, while the oxygen contributes to characteristic reactivity and a strong infrared absorption around 1700 cm−1. The C=O bond length is typically about 1.2 Å, and many carbonyl-containing compounds adopt a planar, sp2-hybridized geometry.

The oxogroep occurs widely in chemistry. In organic chemistry, it is the defining feature of aldehydes, ketones, carboxylic acids, esters, amides, and anhydrides. In inorganic and organometallic chemistry, oxo groups also refer to metal-oxygen double bonds (M=O), which are important in oxidation reactions and catalysis. Examples include formaldehyde (H2C=O), acetone (CH3-CO-CH3), acetic acid (CH3-COOH), and benzaldehyde (C6H5-CHO). Metal-oxo species, such as iron-oxo or ruthenium-oxo compounds, play key roles in biological processes and industrial oxidation catalysts.

The oxogroep is a fundamental concept in understanding the chemistry of oxygen-containing compounds, influencing naming conventions, reactivity patterns, and applications in synthesis, metabolism, and materials science.