Read the Passage carefully and answer the Questions.

Carbonyl compounds such as aldehydes, ketones, and carboxylic acids play an important role in the biochemical process of plants and animal kingdom. Many aldehydes and ketones find applications in dye, perfumery and other industries. The carbonyl carbon atom is $sp^2$-hybridized forming three sigma and one pi-bond with oxygen. C-O bonds are polar bond due to high electronegativity of oxygen than carbon. Hence the carbonyl carbon behaves as an electrophilic center and oxygen as a nucleophilic centre. Primary and secondary alcohols yield aldehydes and ketones respectively upon oxidation with variety of oxidizing agents. The boiling points of aldehydes and ketones differ from hydrocarbons and ethers. Aldehydes and ketones undergo nucleophilic addition reaction due to presence of electrophilic carbonyl carbon. Nucleophile and a proton add across the carbon oxygen double bond.

In polar C-O bond in carbonyl compounds, the nature of carbon and oxygen atom is

The carbon atom acts as a Lewis acid and the oxygen atom acts as Lewis base.

The correct answer is Option (1) → The carbon atom acts as a Lewis acid and the oxygen atom acts as Lewis base. **

In a carbonyl group (C=O), oxygen is more electronegative than carbon.

• Electron density is pulled toward oxygen, making carbon electron-deficient (δ⁺).
• Oxygen becomes electron-rich (δ⁻).

Thus:

• Carbon atom can accept an electron pair → Lewis acid
• Oxygen atom can donate an electron pair → Lewis base

✅ Correct answer:
The carbon atom acts as a Lewis acid and the oxygen atom acts as a Lewis base.