Description: The Aldol reaction is the addition of an enolate ion with an aldehyde or ketone.
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Description: The Aldol reaction is the addition of an enolate ion with an aldehyde or ketone.
Content available for Reactionguide members only. Not a member? Get access for about 30 cents / day!
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Hi,
I am slightly confused about the first two examples as it seems that the enolate formed from the least substituted carbonyl compound without the use of LDA?
Many thanks for an excellent website.
Aha! Look more closely… what enolates are possible here?
Hi, is there possibility to use Na2CO3 like a base? What would be different? Thx, P.
Sure, one could use Na2CO3 as a base – it’s probably reacting with water present in solution to give trace amounts of HO- , which is doing the deprotonation. Na2CO3 isn’t the greatest base in the world however.
Hey James,
Broadly speaking, why does the base (any base, LDA, NaOH, etc.) deprotonate the hydrogen on the alpha carbon, as opposed to deprotonating the aldehyde’s lone Hydrogen? I know that enol/enolate stuff is called “Alpha-Carbon” chemistry for a reason, but I’m curious as to what the reason is (sterics, stability– they should be equally resonance-stabilized, no?)
Thanks for an awesome website!