The Aldol reaction is a CONDENSATION REACTION. Condensation reactions liberate a

Question

The Aldol reaction is a CONDENSATION REACTION. Condensation reactions liberate a small neutral molecule that can be removed by heat and "CONDENSED". Water is an obvious example a small molecule that can be condensed. Many aldol reactions are performed DIFFERENTKY to the way you performed YOUR Aldol condensation reaction. Rather than crystallizing the product to make the reaction irreversible. INSTEAD, the water is removed by heating and "condensing" away from the reaction in a cold trap. Give a BRIEF explanation of how this DIFFERENT way of making the reaction irreversible, condensation, represents an application of the lessthanorequalto Chatelier principle.

Explanation / Answer

When we apply Le Chatelier principle to a reversible reaction, we observed that when a product is continuously removed from the reaction, the equilibrium will shift in the forward direction so that more and more of product is formed. In the present example, we remove water by evaporation followed by condensation. The equilibrium will shift in the forward direction so that more and more water is formed. Along-with water, more and more desired product (aldol condensation product) is obtained.

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