Can substituted acetone undergo Cannizzaro reaction?
As far as I'm aware, the Cannizzaro reaction can't occur with ketones, only aldehydes. The reaction mechanism involves the transfer of hydride from the former carbonyl carbon (of the tetrahedral intermediate resulting from hydroxide's nucleophilic addition to the carbonyl carbon), during which step the carbonyl reforms, yielding a carboxylic acid. Since a ketone, by definition, has no hydrogens bonded to the carbonyl carbon, it obviously can't undergo such a reaction. I would expect ketones with no $\alpha$-hydrogens to be essentially unreactive with hydroxide, since aldol reactions and keto-enol tautomerism are impossible with no $\alpha$-hydrogens, and most hydrates are unstable.