TOLLENS REAGENT
Tollens' reagent (chemical formula. ) is a chemical reagent used to distinguish between aldehydes and
ketone functional groups along with some alpha-hydroxy ketones which can tautomerize into aldehydes.
Tollens' reagent is an alkaline solution of ammoniacal silver nitrate and is used to test for aldehydes. Silver ions in the presence of hydroxide ions come out of solution as a brown precipitate of silver(I) oxide, Ag2O(s). This precipitate dissolves in aqueous ammonia,
reagent consists of a solution of silver nitrate, ammonia and some sodium hydroxide (to maintain a basic pH of the reagent solution). It was named after its discoverer, the German chemist Bernhard Tollens.