Catalytic, enantioselective, vinylogous aldol reactions

Scott E Denmark1, John R Heemstra, Gregory L Beutner

  • 1Roger Adams Laboratory, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 600 South Mathews Avenue, Urbana, IL 61801, USA. denmark@scs.uiuc.edu

Related Concept Videos

Base-Catalyzed Aldol Addition Reaction01:08

Base-Catalyzed Aldol Addition Reaction

As depicted in Figure 1, base-catalyzed aldol addition involves adding two carbonyl compounds in aqueous sodium hydroxide to form a β-hydroxy carbonyl compound.
Acid-Catalyzed Aldol Addition Reaction01:15

Acid-Catalyzed Aldol Addition Reaction

The aldol reaction of a ketone under acidic conditions successfully forms an unsaturated carbonyl as the final product instead of an aldol. The acid-catalyzed aldol reaction is depicted in Figure 1.
Dehydration of Aldols to Enals: Base-Catalyzed Aldol Condensation01:14

Dehydration of Aldols to Enals: Base-Catalyzed Aldol Condensation

This lesson delves into the aldol condensation catalyzed by bases, where aldols undergo dehydration to enals. As shown in Figure 1, the β-hydroxy aldehyde formed in a base-catalyzed aldol addition reaction dehydrates on heating to yield an unsaturated carbonyl product, which is commonly referred to as an enal.
Aldol Condensation with β-Diesters: Knoevenagel Condensation01:27

Aldol Condensation with β-Diesters: Knoevenagel Condensation

The Knoevenagel condensation is an aldol-type reaction involving the condensation of aldehydes or ketones with active methylene compounds such as β-diesters to produce substituted olefins.
Crossed Aldol Reaction Using Strong Bases: Directed Aldol Reaction00:56

Crossed Aldol Reaction Using Strong Bases: Directed Aldol Reaction

The reaction between two different carbonyl compounds comprising α hydrogen in the presence of a strong base like lithium diisopropylamide (LDA) to form a crossed aldol product is known as a directed aldol reaction. The directed aldol reaction is depicted in Figure 1.
C–C Bond Cleavage: Retro-Aldol Reaction00:57

C–C Bond Cleavage: Retro-Aldol Reaction

The reverse of the aldol addition reaction is called the retro-aldol reaction. Here, the carbon–carbon bond in the aldol product is cleaved under acidic or basic conditions to form two molecules of carbonyl compounds. The mechanism of the reaction consists of three steps.
In the first step, as depicted in Figure 1, the base deprotonates the β-hydroxy ketone at the hydroxyl group to form an alkoxide ion.