Which of the following compounds can be used to distinguish between aldehydes and ketones?
Practice Questions
1 question
Q1
Which of the following compounds can be used to distinguish between aldehydes and ketones?
Benedict's solution
Tollens' reagent
Fehling's solution
All of the above
Tollens' reagent can be used to distinguish aldehydes from ketones, as it oxidizes aldehydes but not ketones.
Questions & Step-by-step Solutions
1 item
Q
Q: Which of the following compounds can be used to distinguish between aldehydes and ketones?
Solution: Tollens' reagent can be used to distinguish aldehydes from ketones, as it oxidizes aldehydes but not ketones.
Steps: 5
Step 1: Understand what aldehydes and ketones are. Aldehydes have a carbonyl group (C=O) at the end of the carbon chain, while ketones have it in the middle.
Step 2: Learn about Tollens' reagent. It is a chemical solution that contains silver ions (Ag+).
Step 3: Know the reaction. When Tollens' reagent is added to an aldehyde, it oxidizes the aldehyde and reduces the silver ions, resulting in a silver mirror on the test tube.
Step 4: Recognize that ketones do not react with Tollens' reagent. Therefore, they do not produce a silver mirror.
Step 5: Conclude that if you see a silver mirror, the compound is an aldehyde. If there is no reaction, it is a ketone.
