Explain the statement: "The $\alpha$-hydrogen of an aldehyde and ketone is acidic."

(N/A) The $\alpha$-hydrogen of an aldehyde and ketone is acidic due to the following reasons:
$(i)$ The carbonyl group is strongly electron-withdrawing ($-I$ effect),which weakens the $C-H$ bond at the $\alpha$-position.
$(ii)$ The conjugate base formed after the removal of the $\alpha$-proton is stabilized by resonance. The negative charge on the $\alpha$-carbon is delocalized onto the electronegative oxygen atom of the carbonyl group,forming an enolate ion.
This resonance stabilization makes the $\alpha$-hydrogen atoms significantly more acidic than those in simple alkanes.