Topic 40: The aldol reaction and the aldol condensation

40.1What is a β-hydroxycarbonyl compound?
 
40.2What is the aldol reaction?
 
40.3What is the mechanism of the aldol reaction of acetone in aqueous NaOH?
 
40.4Is an aldol reaction catalytic in base, or does it require a full equivalent?
 
40.5What is a “condensation” reaction?
 
40.6What is the aldol condensation?
 
40.7Why are aldol condensations generally more successful than aldol reactions?
 
40.8What is the E1cb mechanism?
 
40.9You learned last semester that OH− is not a leaving group. That is generally true. So why does the aldol condensation work?
 
40.10Why don‘t we generally use acetone as a solvent in organic reactions?
 

Topic 41: Crossed and intramolecular aldol reactions and condensations

41.1What does “crossed aldol” mean?
 
41.2What is a limitation of the crossed aldol condensation using hydroxide as a base? (What must be true for it to be useful?)
 
41.3How can we direct the crossed aldol reaction to go the way we want it to if both reactants have α hydrogens?
 
41.4How many stereocenters can be created with a directed aldol reaction? [hint]
 
41.5What is the salient feature of an intramolecular aldol reaction that makes it so valuable in organic synthesis?
 
15 questions
472 questions for Organic II

472 Questions for Organic II

Dearest Student. This web page is a set of questions I call Detailed Intended Learning Outcomes For Organic Chemistry (Part II). Some time ago I asked myself, "Bob, what do you think are the key questions that you hope students will be able to answer after taking Chemistry 248 at St. Olaf College?" So here you have them. Some are very simple; some require more thought. All are good questions to be thinking about as you read, discuss, and master the practical aspects of organic chemistry. They are discussion starters and review tips. There are no answers here (though there are some clues). The questions are here to help you focus on what's important (to me, at least!) and organize your learning process. The questions are grouped into topics. Bite-size chunks. Take them a few at a time. Don't feast on them all at one sitting!

(preliminary version 2021.01.15 feeback: Bob Hanson)