Acetaldehyde to butan-2-one

Explanation

To convert acetaldehyde (CH₃CHO) to butan-2-one (CH₃C(=O)CH₂CH₃), we can follow these steps:

### Step 1: Aldol Condensation
1. **React Acetaldehyde with a Base**: Start with two moles of acetaldehyde (CH₃CHO) and react it with a base, such as sodium hydroxide (NaOH). The base will remove an alpha hydrogen from one of the acetaldehyde molecules.

**Reaction**:
\[
\text{CH}_3\text{CHO} + \text{NaOH} \rightarrow \text{CH}_2\text{CHO}^- \text{ (enolate ion)}
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