What are the products when acetophenone reacts with sodium hypochlorite?
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 2
The correct answer is Option (2) → Sodium benzoate and chloroform
Acetophenone, \( \ce{C6H5COCH3} \), is a methyl ketone, so it gives the haloform reaction. Sodium hypochlorite oxidises it to the sodium salt of an acid with one carbon atom less, and the methyl group is converted to the haloform, here chloroform:
\( \displaystyle \ce{C6H5COCH3 + 3NaOCl -> C6H5COONa + CHCl3 + 2NaOH} \)
The products are sodium benzoate and chloroform.
Why the other options are incorrect
Option (1) Sodium benzoate and iodoform — Incorrect. Iodoform forms with sodium hypoiodite (iodine and NaOH); the halogen of the haloform comes from the hypohalite used.
Option (3) Sodium benzoate and bromoform — Incorrect. Bromoform needs sodium hypobromite; hypochlorite gives the chlorine compound.
NCERT (2026-27 edition):
8.4 Chemical Reactions – “(iii) Oxidation of methyl ketones by haloform reaction: Aldehydes and ketones having at least one methyl group linked to the carbonyl carbon atom (methyl ketones) are oxidised by sodium hypohalite to sodium salts of corresponding carboxylic acids having one carbon atom less than that of carbonyl compound. The methyl group is converted to haloform.”