ketone

American  

[kee-tohn] / ˈki toʊn /

noun

Chemistry.

1. any of a class of organic compounds containing a carbonyl group, CO, attached to two alkyl groups, as CH 3 COCH 3 or CH 3 COC 2 H 5 .

---

adjective

1. containing the ketone group.

ketone British  

/ ˈkiːtəʊn, kɪˈtɒnɪk /

noun

1. any of a class of compounds with the general formula R′COR, where R and R′ are alkyl or aryl groups See also acetone

---

ketone Scientific  

/ kē′tōn′ /

1. Any of a class of organic compounds having the general formula RCOR|||PRIMARY_STRESS|||, where R and R|||PRIMARY_STRESS||| are hydrocarbon radicals that are both attached to the carbon atom of the carbonyl (CO) group. Acetone is a ketone.

---

Other Word Forms

• ketonic adjective

Etymology

Origin of ketone

1850–55; < German Keton, aphetic alteration of Aceton acetone

Explanation

Ketones are chemicals produced by the body when it burns fat for energy rather than sugar. When doctors find ketones in a patient's blood, it's sometimes a symptom of diabetes. If your body doesn't have enough glucose (or sugar), your liver will produce ketones by breaking down fat. When the ketones are released into your bloodstream, your body can use them as an alternate fuel. This naturally happens at night while you sleep, as well as when you're not eating a balanced diet or regular meals. People with type 1 diabetes produce ketones due to a lack of insulin.

Example Sentences

Madhavan is now pursuing whether ketone bodies and related metabolites have similar effects outside the brain, such as in the gut.

From Science Daily • Dec. 2, 2024

Magistrates were told how she had Type 1 diabetes, and often vomited when her ketone levels were imbalanced, sometimes causing her to need hospital.

From BBC • Nov. 21, 2024

While specific products aren’t banned, the law states judges enforcing the measure could consider the inclusion of ingredients including creatine, green tea extract and raspberry ketone.

From Seattle Times • Apr. 25, 2024

Serum concentrations of 157 metabolites reflecting the risk of chronic diseases, such as lipid and glucose metabolites, ketone bodies and amino acids, were determined with an NMR spectroscopy method.

From Science Daily • Nov. 16, 2023

Among its constituents are benzyl acetate, linalyl acetate, benzyl alcohol, indol, methyl anthranilate, and a ketone jasmone.

From The Handbook of Soap Manufacture by Simmons, W. H.