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Background for Aldehydes and Ketones An aldehyde contains at least one hydrogen attached to the C of a C=O (carbonyl group).

A ketone contains two alkyl groups attached to the C of the carbonyl group. The carbon in the carbonyl is sp2 hybridized, has a bond angle of 120o, and is trigonal planar. Aldehydes and ketones have dipole-dipole attractions between molecules, and no hydrogen bonding between molecules. These compounds can hydrogen bond with compounds have O-H or N-H bonds. The melting points and boiling points of aldehydes and ketones are between alkanes and alcohols. Small aldehydes and ketones are soluble in water. Some compounds are very flammable. Uses of Aldehydes and Ketones Formaldehyde can be used to preserve dead animals. Acetone is a common fingernail polish remover and is a solvent. Acetone is very flammable. 2-Butanone (MEK, methyl ethyl ketone) is used as a solvent and paint stripper. 2-Butanone is very flammable. Benzaldehyde is an almond extract. (-)-Carvone is used as spearmint flavoring. (+)Carvone is used as caraway seed flavoring. Vanillin is the vanilla flavoring. IUPAC Nomenclature for Aldehydes and Ketones For the IUPAC nomenclature, the longest continuous carbon chain is the parent compound. Number the chain so that the C-O or bond has the lowest possible number. Give the location of the C-O bond with a number for ketones. From the alkyl prefixes, use Aanal@ for aldehydes, and Aanone@ for ketones. Name and number substituents. Common Nomenclature for Aldehydes and Ketones A ketone is named as an alkyl alkyl ketone. Use the common prefixes (n, iso, sec, tert, neo). Alphabetize the groups. Synthesis of Aldehydes and Ketones Zero degree and primary alcohols are oxidized with pyridinium chlorochromate to form aldehydes. Secondary alcohols are oxidized with sodium dichromate, potassium dichromate, potassium permanganate, sodium hypochlorite, nitric acid, chromium trioxide, or pyridinium chlorochromate to ketones. Benzene reacts with aluminum chloride and an acid halide to form a ketone. Alkenes are oxidized to aldehydes and / or ketones with ozone. Acid chlorides are reduced to aldehydes with lithium aluminum tri(t-butoxy) hydride. Acid chlorides react with dialkyl lithium cuprates to yield ketones. Reactions of Aldehydes and Ketones Organolithium or Grignard reagents react with aldehydes or ketones, followed by acidification, produce alcohols. Aldehydes and ketones are reduced to alcohols with hydrogen and Raney nickel, lithium aluminum hydride, or sodium borohydride. Aldehydes and ketones are reduced to alkanes with amalgamated zinc (zinc treated with mercury) and hydrochloric acid in the Clemmenson reduction. Aldehydes and ketones are reduced to alkanes with hydrazine and potassium hydroxide in the Wolff-Kishner reduction. Aldehydes and ketones react with ammonia derivatives, in the presence of acid, to form imine derivatives. Aldehydes are oxidized with sodium dichromate, potassium dichromate, potassium permanganate, sodium hypochlorite, nitric acid, or chromium trioxide to form carboxylic acids.

``2,4-DNP Test for Aldehydes and Ketones Aldehyde or Ketone

Standards Cyclohexanone, Benzophenone, and Benzaldehyde Procedure Add a solution of 1 or 2 drops or 30 mg of unknown in 2 mL of 95% ethanol to 3 mL of 2,4-dinitrophenylhydrazine reagent. Shake vigorously, and, if no precipitate forms immediately, allow the solution to stand for 15 minutes. The 2,4-dinitrophenylhydrazine reagent will already be prepared for you. Positive test Formation of a precipitate is a positive test. Complications

Some ketones give oils which will not solidify. Some allylic alcohols are oxidized by the reagent to aldehydes and give a positive test. Some alcohols, if not purified, may contain aldehyde or ketone impurities.

Tollens Test for Aldehydes Aldehyde

Standards Cyclohexanone and Benzaldehyde Procedure Add one drop or a few crystals of unknown to 1 mL of the freshly prepared Tollens reagent. Gentle heating can be employed if no reaction is immediately observed. Tollens reagent: Into a test tube which has been cleaned with 3M sodium hydroxide, place 2 mL of 0.2 M silver nitrate solution, and add a drop of 3M sodium hydroxide. Add 2.8% ammonia solution, drop by drop, with constant shaking, until almost all of the precipitate of silver oxide dissolves. Don't use more than 3 mL of ammonia. Then dilute the entire solution to a final volume of 10 mL with water. Positive Test Formation of silver mirror or a black precipitate is a positive test.

Complications

Ketone

The test tube must be clean and oil-free if a silver mirror is to be observed. Easily oxidized compounds give a positive test. For example: aromatic amine and some phenols.

Cleaning up Place all solutions used in this experiment in an appropriate waste container.

Standard Acetone Procedure If the substance to be tested is water soluble, dissolve 4 drops of a liquid or an estimated 50 mg of a solid in 2 mL of water in a large test tube. Add 2 mL of 3 M sodium hydroxide and then slowly add 3 mL of the iodine solution. Stopper the test tube and shake vigorously. A positive test will result in the brown color of the reagent disappearing and the yellow iodoform solid precipitating out of solution. If the substance to be tested is insoluble in water, dissolve it in 2 mL of 1,2dimethoxyethane, proceed as above, and at the end dilute with 10 mL of water. Positive Test Formation of solid iodoform (yellow) is a positive test. (Iodoform can be recognized by its odor and yellow color and, more securely, from the melting point 119o-123oC). Complications Test will not be positive if the R group is a di-ortho substituted aryl group Cleaning Up Place solutions in the appropriate waste container.

Jones (Chromic Acid) Oxidation Test for Aldehydes Aldehydes

Standards Cyclohexanone and Benzaldehyde Procedure Dissolve 10 mg or 2 drops of the unknown in 1 mL of pure acetone in a test tube and add to the solution 1 small drop of Jones reagent (chronic acid in sulfuric acid). A positive test is marked by the formation of a green color within 5 seconds upon addition of the orange-yellow reagent to a primary or secondary alcohol. Aldehydes also give a positive test, but tertiary alcohols do not. The Jones reagent will already be prepared for you. Positive Test A positive test for aldehydes and primary or secondary alcohols consists in the production of an opaque suspension with a green to blue color. Tertiary alcohols give no visible reaction within 2 seconds, the solution remaining orange in color. Disregard any changes after 15 seconds. Complications

``The iodoform test or iodoform reaction is a qualitative chemical test for the detection of ketones and aldehydes carrying an alpha methyl group. The reagents are iodine and sodium hydroxide. Only methyl ketones, or alcohols with the feature: CH3CH(OH)-R may undergo this reaction. There are three steps to the iodoform reaction when starting from an alcohol. If the reaction starts from a methyl ketone, the first step is not needed. Addition of I2(aq) (usually I2 dissolved in KI, shown here reacting with 2-propanol) 2 NaOH + I2 + CH3CH(OH)CH3 2 NaI + CH3COCH3 + 2 H2O oxidizes the hydroxyl group to a ketone, The ketone formed reacts with the I2(aq) in a substitution reaction to produce a triiodoketone, for example triiodoacetone. CH3COCH3 + 3I2 CH3COCI3 + 3HI (Thus, ketone and aldehyde with structure -COCH3 also show positive results). Ethanal is the only aldehyde to give the iodoform reaction.

Aldehydes are better characterized in other ways. The color usually develops in 5-15 seconds.

Cleaning up Place the test solution in the appropriate waste container.

Iodoform Test for Methyl Ketones

Finally, OH- (aqueous) is added, which reacts with, for example, the triiodoacetone. CH3COCI3 + OH- CHI3 + CH3COOIodoform, or triiodomethane (CHI3) is a pale yellow substance with a relatively high molar mass due to the iodine atoms. It is therefore a solid at room temperature. It is insoluble in water and has an antiseptic smell. A visible precipitate of this compound will form from a sample only when a methyl ketone is present. Hence, iodoform test can not be used to distiguish between ketones and aldehydes. ``Fehling's test differentiates between aldehydes and ketones. Aldehydes can be oxidized by Cu2+ in the presence of a strong base to form carbonic acids. Ketones cannot be oxidized by this reaction. When the Cu2+ oxidizes the aldehydes it is reduced to Cu+, and forms the compound Cu2O, which is a reddish precipitate. That is how you know you have an aldehyde. Fehling's reagent is usually formed by mixing CuSO4, sodium citrate, and sodium carbonate. The carbonte is used to raise the pH, but doing so would normally form Cu(OH)2, a precipitate. That is where the sodium citrate comes it---the citrate complexes the Cu2+ ions and prevents them from precipitating.

These two solutions should be stoppered and stored until needed. For the test: Mix 15 ml of solution-"A" with 15 ml of solution-"B" Add 2 ml of this mixture to an empty test tube. Add 3 drops of the compound to be tested to the tube. Place the tube in a water-bath at 60 C. A positive test is indicated by a green suspension and a red precipitate. The test is sensitive enough that even 1 mg of glucose will produce the characteristic red colour of the compound. ``Tollens Test Tollens test, also known as silver-mirror test, is a qualitative laboratory test used to distinguish between an aldehyde and a ketone. It exploits the fact that aldehydes are readily oxidized (see oxidation), whereas ketones are not. Tollens test uses a reagent known as Tollens reagent, which is a colorless, basic, aqueous solution containing silver ions coordinated to ammonia [Ag(NH3)2+]. It is prepared using a two-step procedure. Step 1: Aqueous silver nitrate is mixed with aqueous sodium hydroxide.

``Fehling's solution (f`lngz), deep-blue, alkaline solution used to test for the presence of aldehydes (e.g., formaldehyde, HCHO) or other compounds that contain the aldehyde functional group, -CHO. The substance to be tested is heated with Fehling's solution; formation of a brick-red precipitate indicates the presence of the aldehyde group. Simple sugars (e.g., glucose) give a positive test, so the solution has been used to test for the presence of glucose in urine, a symptom of diabetes;Benedict's solution, which gives the same test, is now more widely used. Fehling's solution is prepared just before use by mixing equal volumes of two previously prepared solutions, one containing about 70 grams cupric sulfate pentahydrate per liter of solution and the other containing about 350 grams Rochelle salt (potassium sodium tartrate tetrahydrate) and 100 grams sodium hydroxide per liter of solution. The cupric ion (complexed with tartrate ion) is reduced to cuprous ion by the aldehyde (which is oxidized) and precipitates as cuprous oxide (Cu2O); for this reason, sugars that react with Fehling's solution are called reducing sugars. ``Fehling's Test In this test the presence of aldehydes but not ketones is detected by reduction of the deep blue solution of copper(II) to a red precipitate of insoluble copper oxide. The test is commonly used for reducing sugars but is known to be NOT specific for aldehydes. For example, fructose gives a positive test with Fehling's solution as does acetoin. Two solutions are required: Fehling's "A" uses 7 g CuSO4.5H2O dissolved in distilled water containing 2 drops of dilute sulfuric acid. Fehling's "B" uses 35g of potassium tartrate and 12g of NaOH in 100 ml of distilled water.

Step 2: Aqueous ammonia is added drop-wise until the precipitated silver oxide completely dissolves.

Tollens reagent oxidizes an aldehyde into the corresponding carboxylic acid. The reaction is accompanied by the reduction of silver ions in Tollens reagent into metallic silver, which, if the test is carried out in a clean glass test tube, forms a mirror on the test tube. eg:

Ketones are not oxidized by Tollens reagent, so the treatment of a ketone with Tollens reagent in a glass test tube does not result in a silver mirror. ``Write a balance equation for the reaction of Tollens' reagent with benzaldehyde? Write a balance equation for the reaction of Tollens' reagent with benzaldehyde. Tollens' reagent is Ag(NH3)2+OHBenzaldehyde is C6H5CHO

.,,Ahh the classic Tollens reagent utilizing silver nitrate to test for presence of analdehyde group. One of the tests I actually memorized when I first learned it. The Tollen's reagent converts the aldehyde group into a carboxylic acid. Anyway, the reaction is: C6H5CHO + 2[Ag(NH3)2]+ + 2OH- >>>> C6H5COOH + 2Ag + 4NH3 +H2O ``In Tollen's Test, what oxidation reactions will be on acetaldehyde, benzaldehyde and acetone? The acetylaldehyde has an H that can be ionized and give the silver mirror. Benzaldehyde has an availble H but the molecule is too e- rich for the available H to ionize. Ketones do not have an H ion availble. ``tollen and aldehyde CH2O + 2OH- ---> CH2O2 + H2O + 2e [Ag(NH 3)2]+ + e ---> Ag + 2NH3 Full equation: CH2O + 2OH- + 2[Ag(NH3)2]+ ---> CH2O2 + H2O + 2Ag + 4NH3 The aldehyde shown is methanal. Same equation for any aldehyde, just replace CH2O with the relevant molecule and balance. ``What is the balanced chemical equation for an aldehyde reating with tollens reagent? i need this with the aldehyde being in the general formula RCHO and i need all the products and charges on the relevant molecules RCHO(aq) + 2OH-(aq) + 2Ag+(aq) RCOOH(aq) + H2O(l) + 2Ag(s) Preparing Tollens reagent: a). 2AgNO3(aq) + 2 NaOH(aq) Ag2O(s) + 2NaNO3(aq) + H2O(l) b). Ag2O(s) + 4NH3(aq) + 2NaNO3(aq) + H2O(l) 2Ag(NH3)2NO3(aq) + 2NaOH(aq) ``What is the equation for formaldehyde and tollens reagent? rcoh + ag = rcoo- +ag

carbons and can not be oxidised to a carboxylic acid (its more stable) and hence the silver complex can not be reduced and therefore you will get a negative result with acetone. ``Oxidation of Aldehydes and Ketones Many of the stronger oxidizing agents such as KMnO4 will transform aldehydes into carboxylic acids. Tollens reagent (Ag2O) is frequently used. A shiny mirror of metallic silver is deposited through oxidation of aldehydes by Tollens reagent, so it is frequently used as a test for aldehydes. Aldehydes are themselves oxidation products of alcohols. A strong oxidizing agent like KMnO4 will oxidize a primary alcohol past the aldehyde all the way to the carboxylic acid oxidation state, while other, weaker oxidizing agents, like PCC, can be used to form aldehydes from alcohols, not oxidizing the aldehyde further. In general, normal ketones are not oxidized except under extreme conditions, with benzylic carbonyl group being an exception, which KMnO4 oxidizes easily.

``

Building equations for the oxidation reactions If you need to work out the equations for these reactions, the only reliable way of building them is to use electron-half-equations. The half-equation for the oxidation of the aldehyde obviously varies depending on whether you are doing the reaction under acidic or alkaline conditions. Under acidic conditions it is: . . . and under alkaline conditions:

``Why in tollen's test, in my experiment, it gives negative results on acetone?

Note: These electron-half-equations are quite easy to work out from scratch. There isn't any real need to r emember them. Follow this link if you aren't sure how to do it, or if you aren't confident about using these equations. These particular examples aren't covered, but the technique is exactly the same whatever the equation. Because I am going to be using electron-half-equations quite a lot on the rest of this page, it would definitely be worth following this link if you aren't happy about them. Use the BACK button on your browser to return to this page.

and it gives positive results on formaldehyde as tollen's test used to determine ketones. Because acetone is a ketone and not an aldehyde.

These half-equations are then combined with the half-equations from whatever oxidising agent you are using. Examples are given in detail below. Specific examples In each of the following examples, we are assuming that you know that you have either an aldehyde or a ketone. There are lots of other things which could also give positive results. Note: Follow this link to find out how to test for the carbon-oxygen double bond in aldehydes and ketones. Use the BACK button on your browser to return to this page.

The aldehyde reduces the Silver complex to silver but in the process the aldehyde is oxidised to a carboxylic acid. For something to be reduced something else has to be oxidised to balance the electron transfer. In ketones the carbon on carbonyl group is bound to two other

Assuming that you know it has to be one or the other, in each case, a ketone does nothing. solution. Complexing the copper(II) ions with tartrate ions prevents Only an aldehyde gives a positive result. precipitation of copper(II) hydroxide. Benedict's solution contains copper(II) Using acidified potassium dichromate(VI) solution complexed with citrate ions in sodium carbonate solution. A gain, A small amount of potassium dichromate(VI) solution is acidified with dilute sulphuric acid complexing the and a few drops of the aldehyde or ketone are added. If nothing happens in the cold, the copper(II) ions prevents the formation of a precipitate - this time of copper(II) mixture is warmed gently for a couple of minutes - for example, in a beaker of hot water. Both solutions are used in the same way. A few drops of the aldehyde or ketone are added No change in the orange ketone to the reagent, and the mixture is warmed gently in a hot water bath for a few solution. ketone No change in the blue solution.

aldehyd e

Orange solution turns green.

aldehyd The blue solution produces a dark red precipitate of e copper(I) oxide. The orange dichromate(VI) ions have been reduced to green chromium(III) ions by the aldehyde. In turn the aldehyde is oxidised to the corresponding carboxylic acid. The electron-half-equation for the reduction of dichromate(VI) ions is: Alde hydes reduce the complexed copper(II) ion to copper(I) oxide. Because the solution is the ald hyde itself is oxidised to a salt of the corresponding carboxylic acid Combining that with the half-equation for the oxidation of an aldehyde under uations for these reactions are always simplified to avoid having to write in the formulae for acidic conditions: the tartrate or citrate ions in the copper complexes. The electron-halfequations for both . . . gives the overall equation: Fehling's solution and Benedict's solution can be written as: Combining that with the half-equation for the oxidation of an aldehyde under alkaline Note: You may wonder why I have gone to all the trouble of working out a complete equation for this reaction (and the next ones) rather than using symbols like [O] which are frequently used in organic chemistry.The problem is that what is important in using these reactions as tests is the ... colour change in the oxidising agent. In this particular reaction, you have to explain, for example, gives the overall equation: why the solution turns green. Any equation that you write has got to show the production of the chromium(III) ions. If you aren't sure exactly how the two half-equations are combined to give the final equation, follow the last link (further up the page) to learn how to do it - and then come back and have a go yourself to check that you can get the right answer. ``What is the balanced equation for tollens' reagent with

benzaldehyde?
Using Tollens' reagent (the silver mirror test) Tollens' reagent contains the diamminesilver(I) ion, [Ag(NH3)2]+. This is made from silver(I) nitrate solution. You add a drop of sodium hydroxide solution + 2Ag(+)(NH3)2 + 2OH- -----> RCHO to give a precipitate of silver(I)oxide, and then add just enough dilute ammonia solution to + 2Ag(ppt) + 4 NH3 + 1 H2O RCOOH precipitate. To carry out the test, you add a few drops of the aldehyde or ketone to the reagent, and warm gently in a hot water bath for a few minutes.

redissolve the

freshly prepared

(R in your case is C6H5- ) ``In Fehling's test what is the equation of the reaction occuring?

ketone

No change in the colourless solution.

aldehyd e

The colourless solution produces a grey precipitate of silver, or a silver mirror on the test tube.

Fehling's Reagent (similar to Benedict's version) contains copper (II) ions. These can be reduced to Copper (I) Oxide, the red/orange precipitate you see when reducing sugars are present. Here's the reaction: Cu2+(aq) + H2O(l) -> Cu2O(s) + 2H+(aq) ``What is the equation involved in iodoform test?

Aldehydes reduce the diamminesilver(I) ion to metallic silver. Because the solution is alkaline, the aldehyde itself is oxidised to a salt of the corresponding carboxylic acid. This test, firstly, is a qualitative chemical test for the Note: If you actually get a silver mirror it is very satisfying - but a grey precipitate is enough to detecting ketones with an alpha methyl group (meaning one carbon show that the test has worked. Whether you get a silver mirror or not seems a matter of luck. atom away). I have watched really careful students clean everything scrupulously and take great care over quantities, and still get no more than a trace of a mirror. On the other hand students who have just The thrown everything together in the first grubby test tube that came to hand can get a wonderful equations are as follows: mirror. Life isn't always fair!

Addition of I2(aq) (usually I2 dissolved in KI, shown here reacting with


The electron-half-equation for the reduction of of the diamminesilver(I) ions to silver is: 2-propanol)

2 NaOH + I2 + CH3CH(OH)CH3 2 NaI + CH3COCH3 + 2 H2O oxidizes the hydroxyl group to a ketone,
Combining that with the half-equation for the oxidation of an aldehyde under alkaline conditions: . . . gives the overall equation:

thing.

Using Fehling's solution or Benedict's solution Fehling's solution and Benedict's solution are variants of essentially the same

The ketone formed reacts with the I2(aq) in a substitution reaction to produce a triiodoketone, for example triiodoacetone. CH3COCH3 + 3I2 CH3COCI3 + 3HI (Thus, aldehyde and ketone with structure -COCH3 also show positive results) Finally, OH- (aqueous) is added, which reacts with, for example, the

triiodoacetone. Both contain complexed copper(II) ions in an alkaline solution. solutioncontains copper(II) ions complexed with tartrate ions in sodium hydroxide CH3COCI3 + OH- CHI3 + CH3COO-

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