How will you convert ethanal into the following compounds?
Butane-1, 3-diol

Explanation

To convert ethanal (acetaldehyde, CH3CHO) into butane-1,3-diol (C4H10O2), we can follow these steps:

### Step 1: Aldol Condensation
1. **React ethanal with dilute NaOH**:
- In the presence of dilute sodium hydroxide (NaOH), ethanal undergoes aldol condensation.
- The hydroxide ion (OH-) from NaOH acts as a base and deprotonates the alpha hydrogen of one ethanal molecule, generating an enolate ion.
- This enolate ion then attacks the carbonyl carbon of another ethanal molecule, leading to the formation of a β-hydroxy aldehyde.

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