The specificity of the saLIcylaldehyde RE. Action for the detection of acetone

✍ Scribed by Thomson, T.

• Publisher: Wiley (John Wiley & Sons)
• Year: 1946
• Weight: 456 KB
• Volume: 65
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0368-4075
• DOI: 10.1002/jctb.5000650409

✦ Synopsis

Abstract

The salicylaldehyde reaction fur the detection of acetone has been studied. It has been shown that the range of specificity hitherto suggested is much too narrow and that the mechanism of the reaction postulated by Braunstein is untenable. A positive salieylaldehyde reaction is given by a wide variety of substances, the essential conditions being condensation of the salieylaldehyde with a reactive methylene group and the formation, through the phenolic hydroxyl group in the salicylaldehyde molecule, of the sodium Bait of the resulting compound. With a relatively concentrated solution of acetone, at any rate, the red colour is due to the formation of the sodium Halt of salieylacetone. Such salts have been isolated and characterised. The reaction is more sensitive for acetone than for any of the other substances examined.