Can anyone tell me what the aldol product would be from a reaction of butanal and sodium hydroxide? I also would like to know what the aldol product would be from a reaction of cyclopentanone and sodium hydroxide and the aldol product from a reaction of acetophenone and sodium hydroxide. Thank you.
Butanal is CH3CH2CH2CHO. In the aldol condensation, the carbonyl O on the first butanal molecule becomes an OH and the attached carbon attaches to the ALPHA carbon of the second molecule, replacing a H of the CH2. The alpha carbon is one carbon removed from the functional group. In CH3CH2CHO, for example, the alpha carbon is the middle one.(the second one over is the BETA carbon) The condensation product for butanal, then, is
CH3CH3CH2CHOHC*HCHO with -CH2CH3 being attached at the carbon marked with a *.
Cyclopentanone and acetophenone would be treated the same way. Check to make sure these compounds contain an alpha hydrogen; without an alpha hydrogen, the aldo condensation cannot take place (although other reactions may occur).
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