α-Hydroxy ketones,
RCH(OH)C(=O)R
. So named from the fact that they are formally derived from reductive coupling of carboxylic acyl groups.
See also: ketones
Source:
PAC, 1995, 67, 1307. 'Glossary of class names of organic compounds and reactivity intermediates based on structure (IUPAC Recommendations 1995)' on page 1312 (https://doi.org/10.1351/pac199567081307)