Final answer:
Tollens' reagent is another oxidizing agent for alcohols and aldehydes that, when reacting with aldehydes, produces a silvery precipitate indicating oxidation.
Step-by-step explanation:
Another oxidizing agent for oxidation of alcohols and aldehydes besides Jones reagent is Tollens' reagent. This reagent is particularly useful because it can distinguish aldehydes from ketones and alcohols due to its mildness.
When Tollens' reagent is used in reactions with aldehydes, it becomes reduced, resulting in the classic silver mirror effect where the colorless solution forms a silvery precipitate, indicating the presence of an aldehyde.
Here is an example of an oxidation reaction involving Tollens' reagent:
2RCHO + O2 → 2RCOOH.
This reaction demonstrates that aldehydes such as acetaldehyde can easily be oxidized to carboxylic acids when exposed to an oxidizing agent like Tollens' reagent.
Similarly, primary and secondary alcohols are also readily oxidized by a variety of agents, which might be denoted by the symbol [O] in chemical equations.
The oxidising agent for alcohols and aldehydes can be another alcohol. An example is potassium permanganate (KMnO4), which can oxidise primary alcohols to form aldehydes and then further oxidise the aldehydes to carboxylic acids.
When potassium permanganate is used as an oxidising agent for alcohols and aldehydes, it undergoes a color change from purple to colorless or light pink.