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Definition of "aldol" [al•dol]

  • A thick, colorless to pale yellow liquid, C4H8O2, obtained from acetaldehyde and used in perfumery and as a solvent. (noun)
  • A similar aldehyde. (noun)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Use "aldol" in a sentence
  • "With all this focus on polyketide/macrolide synthesis, I thought I’d highlight an interesting review in this week’s Angewandte; a genuine masterclass in the aldol reaction."
  • "In fact, our studies show that serine meets the first two criteria, and recent work24 has demonstrated that serine catalyses certain asymmetric aldol reactions with high enantioselectivity; it has also been highlighted as one of a small number of amino acids likely to have played an important role in prebiotic chemistry25, 26."
  • "Last night I was even at the stage of sitting in the exam hall waiting to be told to open the test paper, when I realised that I could recall not one of the countless details of reagents, methods and strategies involved in the Grignard reaction in particular (yes, alkylmagnesium, I know that much) or the aldol reaction, Claesen rerrangement, Friedel-Crafts acylation and all the rest."