8. Aldehydes and Ketones

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Total cards: 24•Content version: v4•Public deck•Updated: 8/1/2026

Card preview (24)

Front (Question)

What is the carbonyl group?

Back (Answer)

C double bonded to O

Front (Question)

How are aldehydes named?

Back (Answer)

Using the suffix -al

Front (Question)

How are ketones named?

Back (Answer)

Using the suffix -one, or the prefix oxo-

Front (Question)

What is a primary alcohol oxidised to?

Back (Answer)

Aldehyde → Carboxylic acid

Front (Question)

What is a secondary alcohol oxidised to?

Back (Answer)

Ketone

Front (Question)

What would a suitable oxidising agent for primary and secondary alcohols be?

Back (Answer)

Acidified potassium dichromate

Front (Question)

Why can ketones not be oxidised?

Back (Answer)

There is no hydrogen bonded to the carbonyl group

Front (Question)

What is Fehling’s solution?

Back (Answer)

An alkaline solution that contains copper ions, which act as a mild oxidising agent

Front (Question)

What happens when Fehling’s solution is mixed with an aldehyde and heated?

Back (Answer)

The aldehyde is oxidised to a carboxylic acid and the blue copper (II) ions are reduced to copper (I) oxide as a brick red precipitate

#10

Front (Question)

What is Tollen’s reagent made of?

Back (Answer)

Aqueous solutions of ammonia and silver nitrate

#11

Front (Question)

What happens when Tollen’s reagent is mixed with an aldehyde?

Back (Answer)

The aldehyde is oxidised to a carboxylic acid and the silver (I) ions are reduced to metallic silver

#12

Front (Question)

How can the oxidation process that produces aldehydes and ketones be reversed?

Back (Answer)

With a strong reducing agent (e.g. sodium tetrahydridoborate or lithium aluminium hydride)

#13

Front (Question)

What reducing agents can be used to reduce aldehydes and ketones?

Back (Answer)

• sodium tetrahydridoborate - NaBH4 (dissolved in water) * lithium aluminium hydride (LiAlH4) - (dissolved in a non-aqueous solvent such as ethanol)

#14

Front (Question)

What do the reducing agents NaBH4 and LiAlH4 provide?

Back (Answer)

The hydride ion (H+) which acts as a nucleophile

#15

Front (Question)

In the reduction of aldehydes and ketones, what does the hydride ion from the reducing agent act as?

Back (Answer)

A nucleophile

#16

Front (Question)

What is formed when carboxylic acids are reduced?

Back (Answer)

Aldehyde → Primary Alcohol

#17

Front (Question)

What is formed when ketones are reduced?

Back (Answer)

Secondary alcohols

#18

Front (Question)

What type of mechanism is the reduction of an aldehyde?

Back (Answer)

Nucleophilic addition

#19

Front (Question)

What type of mechanism is the reduction of a ketone?

Back (Answer)

Nucleophilic addition

#20

Front (Question)

What does the addition of cyanide to an aldehyde or ketone form?

Back (Answer)

A hydroxynitrile

#21

Front (Question)

What kind of mechanism is it when cyanide and an aldehyde/ketone forms a hydroxynitrile?

Back (Answer)

Nucleophilic addition

#22

Front (Question)

What is the reagent when a hydroxynitrile is formed from an aldehyde/ketone?

Back (Answer)

KCN or NaCN (followed by H2SO4)

#23

Front (Question)

What is the nucleophile when a hydroxynitrile is formed from an aldehyde/ketone?

Back (Answer)

:CN-

#24

Front (Question)

Can hydroxynitrile be formed from aldehydes/ketones in a lab?

Back (Answer)