X-ray diffraction studies of crystalline trihalomethyl ketones (RCOCX3) reveal an unusual structural deformation about the carbonyl group

Abstract X-ray crystallographic studies of a set of trihalomethyl ketones ( 4, 5 , and 6 ) indicate that the carbonyl oxygen is displaced significantly toward the trihalomethyl group, probably as a consequence of oxygen lone pair delocalization into the σ* orbital of COX 3 .