Abstract : As a result of the presence of the carbonyl group in both aldehydes and ketones, the reactions of these two families of compounds to a large number of chemicals are quite similar. It is common practise to employ 2,4-dinitrophenylhydrazine as a testing agent for either of these classes of chemicals. Ketones, on the other hand, are much harder to oxidize than aldehydes, therefore they don't alter when exposed to mild oxidizing agents; instead, the aldehydes become carboxylic acids as a result of this reaction. However, aldehydes have a distinct behavior that sets them apart from ketones.
