Testing for alcohols

• What is Tollens’ reagent made of?

  Aqueous ammonia + silver nitrate → [Ag(NH₃)₂]⁺.
• What happens to aldehydes with Tollens’?

  Oxidized to carboxylic acids; silver mirror forms.
• What happens to aldehydes in Fehling’s solution?

  Oxidized to carboxylic acids; Cu²⁺ reduced to Cu₂O (red precipitate
• How can you test for a carboxylic acid?

  Add sodium carbonate – it will fizz and produce CO₂ gas.