Aldol

An aldol or aldol adduct is a hydroxy ketone or aldehyde, and is the product of aldol addition (as opposed to aldol condensation, which produces an α,β-unsaturated carbonyl moiety). When used alone, the term "aldol" may refer to the specific aldol, 3-hydroxybutanal.[1]

Generalized structure of the aldol moiety: When R3 is -H, it is a β-hydroxy aldehyde, otherwise it is a β-hydroxy ketone.

Discovery

The aldol reaction was discovered in 1872 by French chemist Charles-Adolphe Wurtz, and has remained a staple in organic synthesis.

Alexander Borodin is also credited with the discovery of the aldol reaction together with Charles-Adolphe Wurtz. In 1872, Borodin announced to the Russian Chemical Society the discovery: a new byproduct in aldehyde reactions, which; he noted maintained similarities to those compounds previously discussed in articles produced in publications by Charles-Adolphe Wurtz - from that same year.[2]

References

  1. https://pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/compound/3-Hydroxybutanal#section=Top
  2. McMurry, John (2008). Organic Chemistry, 7th Ed. Thomson Brooks/Cole. pp. 877–80. ISBN 978-0-495-11258-7.


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