Therefore, aldehydes and ketones having at least one a-hydrogen,
undergo Aldol condensation in the presence of a base to give a-hydroxyaldehydes
(aldol) and a-hydroxyketones(ketol), respectively Aldehydes having no a-hydrogen
undergo Cannizzaro reaction in the presence of concentrated alkali Aldehydes
and ketones are reduced to alcohols with NaBH4, LiAlH4, or by catalytic hydrogenation The carbonyl group of aldehydes and ketones can be reduced to a methylene group
by Clemmensen reduction or Wolff-Kishner reduction