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Despite having only two functional groups, many aldols can have complicated structures arising from the relative positions of the OH group and the substituent between it and the carbonyl. Controlling reactions in order to favor the formation of one of these isomers is of great interest in the area of
In organic chemistry
Organic chemistry is a subdiscipline within chemistry involving the scientific study of the structure, properties, and reactions of organic compounds and organic materials, i.e., matter in its various forms that contain carbon atoms.Clayden, J ...
, an aldol describes a structural motif consisting of a 3-hydroxy ketone
In organic chemistry a hydroxy ketone (often referred to simply as a ketol) is a functional group consisting of a ketone flanked by a hydroxyl group. In the two main classes, the hydroxyl group can be placed in the alpha position (an alpha-hydroxy ...
or 3-hydroxyaldehyde
In organic chemistry, an aldehyde () is an organic compound containing a functional group with the structure . The functional group itself (without the "R" side chain) can be referred to as an aldehyde but can also be classified as a formyl gro ...
. Aldols are usually the product of aldol addition
The aldol reaction is a means of forming carbon–carbon bonds in organic chemistry.
Discovered independently by the Russian chemist Alexander Borodin in 1869 and by the French chemist Charles-Adolphe Wurtz in 1872, the reaction combines two car ...
. When used alone, the term "aldol" may refer to 3-hydroxybutanal
3-Hydroxybutanal (acetaldol) is an organic compound with the formula CH3CH(OH)CH2CHO. It is classified as an aldol, formally the product of the dimerization of acetaldehyde. A colorless liquid, it is a versatile and valuable intermediate with div ...
.
Stereochemistry
Despite having only two functional groups, many aldols can have complicated structures arising from the relative positions of the OH group and the substituent between it and the carbonyl. Controlling reactions in order to favor the formation of one of these isomers is of great interest in the area of asymmetric synthesis
Enantioselective synthesis, also called asymmetric synthesis, is a form of chemical synthesis. It is defined by IUPAC as "a chemical reaction (or reaction sequence) in which one or more new elements of chirality are formed in a substrate molecul ...
.
Reactions
The chemistry of aldols is dominated by one reaction, dehydration: :RC(O)CH2CH(OH)R' → RC(O)CH=CHR' + H2OHydroxypivaldehyde
Hydroxypivaldehyde is the organic compound with the formula HOCH2(CH3)2CCHO. A colorless liquid, it is produced by condensation of formaldehyde and isobutyraldehyde:
:CH2O + (CH3)2CHCHO → HOCH2(CH3)2CCHO
The compound is a rare example of a ...
is a rare example of a relatively robust aldol.
References
Aldehydes {{organic-chemistry-stub