🧴Aldehyde vs Ketone💅
Aldehydes and ketones both feature the carbonyl group, but the carbonyl's position changes their reactivity.
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🧴Aldehyde
- ✓Carbonyl group at the end of the carbon chain
- ✓Has at least one hydrogen on the carbonyl carbon
- ✓Easily oxidized to carboxylic acids
- ✓Positive Tollens and Fehling's tests
- ✓Examples: formaldehyde, acetaldehyde
💅Ketone
- ✓Carbonyl group within the carbon chain
- ✓Two carbon groups on the carbonyl carbon
- ✓Resistant to mild oxidation
- ✓Negative Tollens and Fehling's tests
- ✓Examples: acetone, butanone
Verdict
Aldehydes carry the carbonyl at the chain end and oxidize easily; ketones bury it mid-chain and resist oxidation. Tollens' test tells them apart with a silver mirror.
Frequently asked
How do I distinguish them in the lab?+
Tollens' reagent gives a silver mirror with aldehydes but not with ketones.
Why are aldehydes easier to oxidize?+
The hydrogen on their carbonyl carbon can be removed during oxidation to a carboxylic acid.
What do they have in common?+
Both contain the carbonyl group, a carbon double bonded to oxygen.
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