Last edited Wed May 18, 2016, 11:51 AM - Edit history (2)
As I'm sure you are well aware, both ethyl (ethanol) and ketones are functional groups. For your convenience, here are the (generalized) functional groups:
Ethyl CH^3CH^2OH
ketones CH^3CH^3O
If you take the time to draw a Lewis diagram of both you will quickly discover that there is a double bond between one of the carbons and the oxygen in the ketone group (C=O), to make the octet without the H atom (because it isn' there. If it were it wouldn't be a ketone).
Hopefully you know that the breatholizer performs a redox reaction to produce acetic acid HC^2HO^2(g) (or better yet CH^3COOH). The instrument (breatholizer) measures the acetic acid.
The big problem with your theory is where does the extra H come from to produce the acetic acid? Keeping in mind that to produce an acid (any acid) one of the reactants need to donate an H ion and this is very unlikely to happen because there isn't one to donate. So, while a high blood sugar produces ketones which may contain acetone (2CO) there isn't any H atoms available to donate and thus make acetic acid. If you could explain how acetone becomes an acid by donating a hydrogen atom it doesn't have then you might have a point. (Hint: the pKa of acetone is 19.2). But alas facts are stubborn and not your friend here.
My opinion is that your looking at this as an individual who is trying to discredit the chemical reaction used by the instrument to measure BAC.
ON EDIT: I forgot to add that if you look at the Lewis structure for the ethyl group then you can clearly see the H ion (attached to the oxygen atom) that is donated to produce the acetic acid that is measured by the breatholizer. Why you insist on trying to make a case for a chemical reaction that even a high school chemistry student can understand is impossible, is a mystery to me.
BTW so as not to confuse you I use the symbol ^ to denote a subscript and = to indicate a double bond (but you should know this).
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