Oxidation of aldehydes and ketones results in the formation of carboxylic acids. Aldehydes, bearing hydrogen next to the carbonyl group, are easily oxidized compared to ketones. This is because an aldehydic proton can easily be abstracted during oxidation.
Aldehydes readily undergo oxidation in strong oxidizing agents such as potassium permanganate and chromic acid. The oxidation can also be carried out using mild oxidizing agents such as silver oxide. In fact, aldehydes can be easily oxidized...

Grignard reagents are one of the most commonly used reagents used to synthesize alcohols from carbonyl compounds. Grignard reagents are organomagnesium halides with a highly polar carbon–magnesium bond. Due to the partial ionic nature of the C–Mg bond, the carbon functions as a strong nucleophile and attacks electrophiles like carbonyl carbon.
Magnesium from the reagent coordinates with carbonyl oxygen, further reducing the carbonyl carbon's electron density. Thus, the...

In this lesson, the oxidation of alcohols is discussed in depth. The various reagents used for oxidation of primary and secondary alcohols are detailed, and their mechanism of action is provided.
The process of oxidation in a chemical reaction is observed in any of the three forms:

Aldehydes and ketones are prepared from alcohols, alkenes, and alkynes via different reaction pathways. Alcohols are the most commonly used substrates for synthesizing aldehydes and ketones. The conversion of alcohol to aldehyde, which involves the oxidation process, depends on the class of the alcohol used and the strength of the oxidizing agent. For instance, primary alcohol will form an aldehyde when treated with a weak oxidizing agent; however, it gets over-oxidized to a carboxylic acid in...

Cyanohydrins are compounds that contain –CN and –OH groups on the same carbon atom. They are formed by the nucleophilic addition of the cyanide ions to the carbonyl group. Cyanide ions are highly basic and nucleophilic and can be generated from HCN under aqueous conditions. However, since HCN is a weak acid, the number of cyanide ions generated is very small. Hence, a small amount of base or KCN/NaCN is added to HCN to increase the concentration of the cyanide ions in the reaction...

Ethers represent a class of chemical compounds that become more dangerous with prolonged storage because they tend to form explosive peroxides when standing in the air. Autoxidation is the spontaneous oxidation of a compound in air. In the presence of oxygen, ethers slowly oxidize to form hydroperoxides and dialkyl peroxides.