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The Tollen’s Reagent is used to determine whether a solution contains an aldehyde or a ketone.

Dilute sodium hydroxide is added to aqueous silver nitrate, this gives silver oxide, sodium nitrate and water.

2 AgNO3 (aq) + 2 NaOH (aq) → Ag2O (s) + 2 NaNO3 (aq) + H2O (l)

Then, aqueous ammonia is added to the solution until it goes clear. This is due to the now silver ions existing as [Ag(NH3)2]+ complexes.

Ag2O (s) + 4 NH3 (aq) + 2 NaNO3 (aq) + H2O (l) → 2 Ag(NH3)2NO3(aq) + 2 NaOH (aq)

The silver precipitates out onto the inside of the container, giving the notable silver mirror as seen above.

  1. saladsarecool reblogged this from callstheadventurescience
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    Anyone remember this from o-chem?
  3. callstheadventurescience reblogged this from hydrides
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  7. jv-ong reblogged this from fyeahchemistry and added:
    OMG TOLLEN’S REAGENT! I remember using this stuff as a sophomore
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    Is it weird I actually understand all of this?
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  26. ednoel reblogged this from fyeahchemistry and added:
    org chem days :’D
  27. sleimok reblogged this from hydrides and added:
    it’s funny how i’ve used this in high school but we weren’t allowed to use it in college when we actually needed to...
  28. vincentfaucher reblogged this from fyeahchemistry
  29. crazydancingdays reblogged this from fyeahchemistry and added:
    “sadly, we can’t do this, Silver Nitrate is too expensive” ¬¬’ #thirdworlduniversityproblems
  30. wardahhajiisa reblogged this from fyeahchemistry and added:
    I’ve done this before, I miss that moment :’D
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