The aldol condensation reaction occurs for aldehydes or ketones with an enolizable proton. An enolizable proton is a proton attached to the carbon next to the carbonyl. The carbon in this position is called an α (alpha) carbon.
An Aldehyde α Carbon
Copy the structures into your lab notebook. Circle the location of enolizable protons in each structure. Not all compounds have an enolizable proton.
The first step in an aldol condensation is deprotonation at the α position of the aldehyde or ketone. An example is show below.
For this experiment you will be reacting benzaldehyde and 4-methoxyacetophenone.