(i) Aldol condensation:  Aldehydes and ketones having at least one
a-hydrogen undergo a reaction in the presence of dilute alkali
as catalyst to form b-hydroxy aldehydes (aldol) or b-hydroxy
ketones (ketol), respectively This is known as Aldol reaction The name aldol is derived from the names of the two
functional groups, aldehyde and alcohol, present in the products The aldol and ketol readily lose water to give a,b-unsaturated
carbonyl compounds which are aldol condensation products
and the reaction is called Aldol condensation