Which functional group is represented by haloalkanes?

Haloalkanes are organic compounds where one or more hydrogen atoms in an alkane have been replaced by halogen atoms (such as fluorine, chlorine, bromine, or iodine). The general representation for haloalkanes can be denoted as R-X, where R represents a carbon-containing alkyl group, and X symbolizes the halogen atom.

This structure illustrates the essential characteristic of haloalkanes: the presence of a halogen atom bonded to the carbon chain. Understanding this functional group aids in recognizing the properties and reactivity of haloalkanes in organic reactions. For example, haloalkanes are known for being reactive due to the polar C-X bond, which can participate in various reactions such as nucleophilic substitution and elimination.

The other options represent different functional groups with distinct characteristics—alcohols (R-OH), carboxylic acids (R-COOH), and aldehydes (R-CHO) do not include halogen atoms and thus do not accurately describe the nature of haloalkanes.