Acetaldehyde (systematically ethanal) is an organic chemical compound with the formula CH3CHO or MeCHO.

It is one of the most important aldehydes, occurring widely in nature and being produced on a large scale industrially. Acetaldehyde occurs naturally in coffee, bread, and ripe fruit, and is produced by plants as part of their normal metabolism. It is also produced by oxidation of ethanol and is popularly believed to be the cause of hangovers.[2]
Acetone is the organic compound with the formula (CH3)2CO. This colorless, mobile, flammable liquid is the simplest example of the ketones. Acetone is miscible with water and serves as an important solvent in its own right, typically as the solvent of choice for cleaning purposes in the laboratory. Acetone is naturally produced and disposed of in the human body as a result of normal metabolic processes.
Addition of sodium hydrogensulphite to aldehydes and ketonesThis reaction only works well for aldehydes. In the case of ketones, one of the hydrocarbon groups attached to the carbonyl group needs to be a methyl group. Bulky groups attached to the carbonyl group get in the way of the reaction happening.The aldehyde or ketone is shaken with a saturated solution of sodium hydrogensulphite in water. Where the product is formed, it separates as white crystals.In the case of ethanal, the equation is:

. . . and with propanone, the equation is:

These compounds are rarely named systematically, and are usually known as "hydrogensulphite (or bisulphite) addition compounds".

The reaction with 2,4 -dinitrophenylhydrazine

Details vary slightly depending on the nature of the aldehyde or ketone, and the solvent that the 2,4-dinitrophenylhydrazine is dissolved in. Assuming you are using Brady's reagent (a solution of the 2,4-dinitrophenylhydrazine in methanol and sulphuric acid): Add either a few drops of the aldehyde or ketone, or possibly a solution of the aldeh yde or ketone in methanol, to the Brady's reagent. A bright orange or yellow precipitate shows the presence of the carbon-oxygen double bond in an aldehyde or ketone. This is the simplest test for an aldehyde or ketone.

The product is known as a "2,4-dinitrophenylhydrazone". The product from the reaction with ethanal would be called ethanal 2,4-dinitrophenylhydrazone; from propanone, you would get propanone 2,4 dinitrophenylhydrazone - and so on.

The reaction is known as a condensation reaction. A condensation reaction is one in which two molecules join together with the loss of a small molecule in the process. In this case, that small molecule is water. In terms of mechanisms, this is a nucleophilic addition-elimination reaction. The 2,4dinitrophenylhydrazine first adds across the carbon-oxygen double bond (the addition stage) to give an intermediate compound which then loses a molecule of water (the elimination stage). Using acidified potassium dichromate(VI) solution A small amount of potassium dichromate(VI) solution is acidified with dilute sulphuric acid and a few drops of the aldehyde or ketone are added. If nothing happens in the cold, the mixture is warmed gently for a couple of minutes - for example, in a beaker of hot water. ketone aldehyde No change in the orange solution. Orange solution turns green.

The orange dichromate(VI) ions have been reduced to green chromium(III) ions by the aldehyde. In turn the aldehyde is oxidised to the corresponding carboxylic acid. The electron-half-equation for the reduction of dichromate(VI) ions is:

Combining that with the half-equation for the oxidation of an aldehyde under acidic conditions:

. . . gives the overall equation:

Using Tollens' reagent (the silver mirror test) Tollens' reagent contains the diamminesilver(I) ion, [Ag(NH 3)2]+. This is made from silver(I) nitrate solution. You add a drop of sodium hydroxide solution to give a precipitate of silver(I) oxide, and then add just enough dilute ammonia solution to redissolve the precipitate. To carry out the test, you add a few drops of the aldehyde or ketone to the freshly prepared reagent, and warm gently in a hot water bath for a few minutes. ketone aldehyde No change in the colourless solution. The colourless solution produces a grey precipitate of silver, or a silver mirror on the test tube.

Aldehydes reduce the diamminesilver(I) ion to metallic silver. Because the solution is alkaline, the aldehyde itself is oxidised to a salt of the corresponding carboxylic acid. The electron-half-equation for the reduction of of the diamminesilver(I) ions to silver is:

Combining that with the half-equation for the oxidation of an aldehyde under alkaline conditions:

. . . gives the overall equation:

Using Fehling's solution or Benedict's solution Fehling's solution and Benedict's solution are variants of essentially the same thing. Both contain complexed copper(II) ions in an alkaline solution. Fehling's solution contains copper(II) ions complexed with tartrate ions in sodium hydroxide solution. Complexing the copper(II) ions with tartrate ions prevents precipitation of copper(II) hydroxide. Benedict's solution contains copper(II) ions complexed with citrate ions in sodium carbonate solution. Again, complexing the copper(II) ions prevents the formation of a precipitate - this time of copper(II) carbonate.

Both solutions are used in the same way. A few drops of the aldehyde or ketone are added to the reagent, and the mixture is warmed gently in a hot water bath for a few minutes. ketone aldehyde No change in the blue solution. The blue solution produces a dark red precipitate of copper(I) oxide.

Aldehydes reduce the complexed copper(II) ion to copper(I) oxide. Because the solution is alkaline, the aldehyde itself is oxidised to a salt of the corresponding carboxylic acid.

Doing the triiodomethane (iodoform) reaction

A positive result is the appearance of a very pale yellow precipitate of triiodomethane (previously known as iodoform) - CHI3. Apart from its colour, this can be recognised by its faintly "medical" smell. It is used as an antiseptic on the sort of sticky plasters you put on minor cuts, for example. A positive result - the pale yellow precipitate of triiodomethane (iodoform) - is given by an aldehyde or ketone containing the grouping:

"R" can be a hydrogen atom or a hydrocarbon group (for example, an alkyl group). If "R" is hydrogen, then you have the aldehyde ethanal, CH 3CHO.
y y

Ethanal is the only aldehyde to give the triiodomethane (iodoform) reaction. If "R"is a hydrocarbon group, then you have a ketone. Lots of ketones give this reaction, but those that do all hav e a methyl group on one side of the carbon-oxygen double bond. These are known as methyl ketones.

Brady's test
2,4-Dinitrophenylhydrazine can be used to qualitatively detect the carbonyl functionality of a ketone or aldehyde functional group. A positive test is signaled by a yellow or red precipitate (known as a dinitrophenylhydrazone.) If the carbonyl compound is aromatic, then the precipitate will be red; if aliphatic, then the precipitate will have a yellow color.[2] The reaction between 2,4-Dinitrophenylhydrazine and a ketone is shown below:
RR'C=O + C6H3(NO2)2NHNH2 C6H3(NO2)2NHNCRR' + H2O

This reaction can be described as a condensation reaction, with two molecules joining together with loss of water. It is also considered an addition-elimination reaction:

nucleophilic addition of the -NH2 group to the C=O carbonyl group, followed by the removal of a H2 O molecule.
Dinitrophenylhydrazine does not react with other carbonyl-containing functional groups such as carboxylic acids, amides, and esters. For carboxylic acids, amides and esters, there is resonance associated stability as a lone-pair of electrons interacts with the p-orbital of the carbonyl carbon resulting in increased delocalization in the molecule. This stability would be lost by addition of a reagent to the carbonyl group. Hence, these compounds are more resistant to addition reactions.