Question

Give a chemical test to distinguish between each of the following pair of organic compounds. 

1. Propanal and Propanol 

2. Propanone and Propanal

Answer 1

1. Propanal is an aldehyde and it gives a silver mirror with Tollens’ reagent while propanol is an alcohol and will not answer Tollens’ test.

2. Propanone gives yellow precipitate of iodoform on reaction with I₂ and NaOH while propanal does not give iodoform test. OR Propanal gives silver mirror with Tollens’ reagent while propanone does not give silver mirror test.