CBSE Board Exam JEE MAINS

NEET
Class XII Chemistry
Distinguish Between Pairs of
Organic Compounds
 Test in organic chemistry
1. Lucas test 6. Fehling’s test
2. Iodoform test
7. 2,4-dinitrophenyl hydrazine
3. Sodium hydrogen
carbonate Test test
4. Ferric Chloride Test 8. Isocyanide test or
5. Tollens’ test carbylamine test
9. Azo dye test
10.Hinsberg’s test
 Lucas test
• Used to distinguish primary, secondary and tertiary alcohols.
• Lucas reagent – equimolar mixture of conc. HCl and anhydrous ZnCl2
• Alcohol is treated with Lucas reagent, turbidity due to the formation of
insoluble alkyl chloride is observed.
• If the turbidity appears immediately, the alcohol is tertiary.
• If the turbidity appears in about five minutes, the alcohol is secondary.
• A primary alcohol does not react with Lucas reagent at room
temperature and hence no turbidity is formed.
 Iodoform test
• Iodoform test is a test for the CH3-CO group and is characteristic for
CH3CH(OH) group produces CH3CO group on
alcohols CH3-CH(OH) and methyl ketones
oxidation.
• Reagents- sodium hydroxide and iodine (or Sodium hypoiodite, NaOI)
• Product formed- iodoform,(CHI3) which is a pale yellow in colour

ethanol (), propan-2-ol (),

ethanal(), propanone(), butanone (), pentan-2-one
(), acetophenone ( ) give this test
 Sodium hydrogen carbonate or
bicarbonate Test
• All carboxylic acids (RCOOH) give Bicarbonate
Test
• Observation:- gas is evolved with brisk
effervescence
Ferric Chloride Test
• Phenol gives FeCl3 Test
• Observation:-violet colour appears when phenol is
treated with neutral FeCl3 solution
 Tollens’ test
• Given by aldehydes and formic acid.
• Tollens’ reagent- ammoniacal silver nitrate solution
• The aldehydes are oxidised to corresponding carboxylate anion.
• The reaction occurs in alkaline medium.
• A bright silver mirror is produced due to the formation of silver metal.
• Also known as Silver mirror test.
• Ketones do not give this test.
 Fehling’s test
• Fehling reagent comprises of two solutions,
• Fehling solution A :- aqueous copper sulphate and
• Fehling solution B :- alkaline sodium potassium tartarate
(Rochelle salt).
• These two solutions are mixed in equal amounts before test.
• On heating an aldehyde with Fehling’s reagent, a reddish brown
precipitate of is obtained.
• Aromatic aldehydes do not respond to this test.
 2,4-dinitrophenyl hydrazine test
• Also called DNP test
• Aldehydes and ketones give this test.
• 2,4-DNP derivatives of aldehydes and ketones are yellow, orange or red
solids .
 Isocyanide test or carbylamine
• test (aromatic and aliphatic)
Used as a test for primary amines
• Primary amines on heating with chloroform and ethanolic
potassium hydroxide form isocyanides or carbylamines which
are foul smelling substances
• Secondary and tertiary amines do not show this reaction.
 Azo dye test
• It involves the reaction of any aromatic primary amine with
nitrous acid followed by treatment with an alkaline solution of 2-
naphthol, when a brilliant yellow , orange or red coloured dye is
obtained.
• Used to distinguish between aliphatic primary amine and aromatic
primary amine.
 Hinsberg’s test
• Used for distinguishing primary, secondary and tertiary
amines.

• Hinsberg’s reagent- benzenesulphonyl chloride (C6H5SO2Cl)

• In this test amine is shaken with Hinsberg’s reagent in

presence of excess of aqueous KOH solution.
 Continue…

Hinsberg’s test
• A primary amine gives a clear solution which on acidification
gives an insoluble N-alkylbenzenesulphonamide.
• A secondary amine gives an insoluble N,N-
dialkylbenzenesulphonamide which remains unaffected on
addition of acid.
• A tertiary amine does not react at all. Therefore, it remains
insoluble in the alkaline solution but dissolves on acidification
to give a clear solution.
 Important Questions
• Name the chemical test used to distinguish between Phenol
and Ethanoic acid?
Answer:-FeCl3 test – given by Phenol but not by Ethanoic acid
or sodium bicarbonate test- given by Ethanoic acid but not by
Phenol
• Which chemical is used to distinguish between phenol and
benzyl alcohol.
(a) NaHCO3 (b) FeCl3 (c) Iodoform test (d) none of these

Answer:- (b) FeCl3 (given by phenol)

• Give a chemical test to distinguish between the following
pairs:‐
(i) Phenol and benzoic acid (ii) Benzaldehyde and
Acetophenone
Answer:- (i) Benzoic acid reacts with NaHCO3 giving CO2 gas with
effervescence where as phenol does not .
C6H5 COOH + NaHCO3 → C6H5COONa + H2O +

CO2

(ii) Acetophenone on reacting with hot NaOH / I2 gives yellow ppt

of CHI3 (Iodoform test) while Benzophenone does not .

• Distinguish between:
(i) Acetone and Acetaldehyde (ii) Benzaldehyde and
Benzophenone
Answer:- (i) Acetaldehyde gives Tollens’ test and Fehling’s
test while acetone does not

(ii) Benzaldehyde gives Tollens' test, while benzophenone

does not.
• Give chemical test to distinguish between:
(i) Acetaldehyde and benzaldehyde (ii) Propanone and
Propanal
Answer:-(i) Acetaldehyde gives iodoform test while
benzaldehyde does not.
OR Acetaldehyde gives Fehling’s test while benzaldehyde
does not.
(ii) Propanone gives iodoform test while Propanal does not.
OR Propanal gives Tollens’ test and Fehling’s test while
Propanone does not
• Distinguish between the following:
(i) Butanone and Butanal
Answer:- Butanone gives iodoform test while Butanal does not
OR Butanal gives Tollens’ test and Fehling test while Butanone
does not.
(ii) Ethanal and ethanoic acid
Answer:- Ethanal gives Tollens’ test and Fehling test while
ethanoic acid does not.
OR Ethanal gives iodoform test while ethanoic acid does not.
OR Ethanoic acid gives effervescence of CO2 with sodium
bicarbonate while Ethanal does not
Give a chemical test to distinguish between:
(a) or Aniline and ethyl amine
Answer:- gives azo dye test while does not.
Azo dye test :-
(b) Ethanamine and N-ethylethanamine
or Methanamine and N-methylmethanamine
Answer:- Ethanamine gives carbylamine test while N-
ethylethanamine does not.
(c)
Answer:- by Hinsberg’s Test. In this test amine is shaken
with Hinsberg’s reagent in presence of excess of aqueous
KOH solution.
• gives an insoluble N,N-dialkylbenzenesulphonamide
which remains unaffected on addition of acid.
• does not react at all. Therefore, it remains insoluble in
the alkaline solution but dissolves on acidification to give
a clear solution.
• Give one chemical test to distinguish between the
following pairs of compounds.
(i) Methylamine and dimethylamine
(ii) Ethylamine and aniline
(iii) Aniline and benzylamine
Answer:- (i) Carbylamine reaction
(ii) Azo dye Test
(iii) Azo dye Test
• Give a chemical test to distinguish between:
(a)Methanoic acid and Ethanoic acid
Answer:- Methanoic acid gives Tollen’s test but Ethanoic acid
does not
(b) Ethanol and Propan-2-ol
Answer:- By Lucas Test
• Give a chemical test to distinguish between:
Chlorobenzene and Benzyl chloride
Answer:- Benzyl chloride is allowed to react with aqueous NaOH,
the resulting solution gives white precipitates with Chlorobenzene
does not give white precipitate with similar reagents.

Chlorobenzene does not react with NaOH at ordinary temperature