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  4. The reagent that can be used to distinguish between methanoic acid and ethanoic acid is:

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Q. The reagent that can be used to distinguish between methanoic acid and ethanoic acid is:

KEAMKEAM 2001Aldehydes Ketones and Carboxylic Acids

Solution:

Formic acid (methanoic acid) can reduce ammoniacal silver nitrate (Tollens reagent) to silver mirror because it acts as reducing agent and in it H-atom linked with $ -COOH $ group is easily oxidized to $ -OH $ group, as follows: $ HCOOH+A{{g}_{2}}O\xrightarrow[{}]{amm.\,AgN{{O}_{3}}}{{H}_{2}}O $ $ +C{{O}_{2}}+\underset{\begin{smallmatrix} silver \\ mirror \end{smallmatrix}}{\mathop{2Ag\downarrow }}\, $
While acetic acid (ethanoic acid) cannot react with ammoniacal silver nitrate solution.