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An aldol condensation is a condensation reaction in organic chemistry in which two carbonyl moieties (of aldehydes or ketones) react to form a β-hydroxyaldehyde or β-hydroxyketone (an aldol reaction), and this is then followed by dehydration to give a conjugated enone. The overall reaction equation is as follows (where the Rs can be H)
Due to the strongly alkaline reaction conditions, aldehydes that have alpha hydrogen atom(s) instead undergo deprotonation there, leading to enolates and possible aldol reactions. Under ideal conditions the reaction produces 50% of both the alcohol and the carboxylic acid (it takes two aldehydes to produce one acid and one alcohol). [5]
In an aldol condensation, water is subsequently eliminated and an α,β-unsaturated carbonyl is formed. The aldol cleavage or Retro-aldol reaction is the reverse reaction into the starting compounds. The name aldehyde-alcohol reaction derives from the reaction product in the case of a reaction among aldehydes, a β-hydroxy aldehyde.
The use of aldehyde in the name comes from its history: aldehydes are more reactive than ketones, so that the reaction was discovered first with them. [2] [3] [4] The aldol reaction is paradigmatic in organic chemistry and one of the most common means of forming carbon–carbon bonds in organic chemistry.
The oxidation of primary alcohols to carboxylic acids normally proceeds via the corresponding aldehyde, which is transformed via an aldehyde hydrate (gem-diol, R-CH(OH) 2) by reaction with water. Thus, the oxidation of a primary alcohol at the aldehyde level without further oxidation to the carboxylic acid is possible by performing the reaction ...
In this reaction, one aldehyde donates a proton and one aldehyde accepts a proton. Some aldehydes can only donate protons, such as 4-dimethylaminobenzaldehyde, whereas benzaldehyde is both a proton acceptor and donor. In this way it is possible to synthesise mixed benzoins, i.e. products with different groups on each half of the product.
Aldehydes and to some extent even ketones, hydrate to geminal diols. The reaction is especially dominant for formaldehyde, which, in the presence of water, exists significantly as dihydroxymethane. Conceptually similar reactions include hydroamination and hydroalkoxylation, which involve adding amines and alcohols to alkenes.
In this reaction the carbonyl group is an aldehyde or a ketone. The catalyst is usually a weakly basic amine. The active hydrogen component has the forms: [3] Z−CH 2 −Z or Z−CHR−Z for instance diethyl malonate, Meldrum's acid, ethyl acetoacetate or malonic acid, or cyanoacetic acid. [1] Z−CHRR', for instance nitromethane.