I need help with writing chemical reactions. I performed the Fehling and Tollens test. I have to pick a reaction with one of the test compounds that exhibited a positive result and write a chemical equation for it. For the fehling test ethanal tested positive and for tollens 3-phenyl-2-propenal tested positive

Question

aaronq · Answer

first find what the chemical formulas of the reagents are

marmar10 · Answer

I think these are the reagents...
Tollens: [Ag(NH3)2]NO3
Fehling: Cu2+ + OH 
@aaronq

aaronq · Answer

i think you're right, which one of the two are you doing?

marmar10 · Answer

I have to write an equation for both tests. Ethanal is the compound used for the fehling test and 3-phenyl-2-propenal is the compound used for the tollens test

aaronq · Answer

oh okay, i understood you have to pick one from what you wrote.

So i'll give you some hints, and you can try it and we can go from there, cool?

The tollens reaction causes a "silver mirror" to precipitate, this means that Ag+ was reduced to Ag(s), so it is in fact oxidizing something.. i'll let you figure that out.

Fehlings test is the opposite, Cu+ gets oxidized to Cu2+, in the process ethanal gets converted into a carboxylic acid and in basic conditions (presence of OH^-) it gets oxidized to a carboxylate ion that complexes to the copper ions.