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18.14: Oxidation of Aldehydes

  • Page ID
    183103
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    Oxidation and Carbonyls

    Aldehydes are so easily oxidized that oxidation reactions can be an unwanted side reaction. Isolated ketones cannot be oxidized. The poly-hydroxy ketones of monosaccharides can be oxidized as seen in carbohydrate chemistry.

    ch 19 sect 14 example 1 expanded.png

    Tollen's Test

    The Tollen's Test differentiates between aldehydes and ketones based on one of their few differences in chemical reactivity. Aldehydes can be oxidized and ketones cannot. In the Tollen's Test, silver ions (Ag+) oxidize aldehydes to carboxylic acids and are reduces to silver metals which can form a beautiful coating on the inside of the reaction flask.

    Ch 19 sect 14 Tollens Test.png

    Exercise

    26. Draw and name the oxidation products for the following compounds.

    a) benzaldehyde

    b) acetaldehyde

    c) 3-hydroxypentanal

    Answer

    26.

    ch 19 sect 14 exercise solution.png

    Contributors and Attributions


    18.14: Oxidation of Aldehydes is shared under a CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 license and was authored, remixed, and/or curated by LibreTexts.