The Aldol Addition and Condensation:The Effect of Conditions on Reaction Pathway

摘要

Condensation reactions at the a carbon of carbonyl compounds present a challenge to many students.Discerning when a reaction undergoes simple addition of an alpha carbon to a carbonyl(aldol addition)or continues reacting via a dehydration(aldol condensation)is often of particular difficulty.Although many examples of aldol condensation reactions for the second-year organic lab are available,we sought a lab exercise that would produce aldol addition or condensation products depending only on the reaction conditions.