The
aldol reaction is a means of forming
carbon–carbon bonds in
organic chemistry. Discovered independently by
Charles-Adolphe Wurtz and
Alexander Borodin in 1872, the reaction combines two
carbonyl compounds (the original experiments used
aldehydes) to form a new ß-hydroxy carbonyl compound. These products are known as
aldols, from the
aldehyde + alcoh
ol, a structural motif seen in many of the products. Aldol structural units are found in many important molecules, whether naturally occurring or synthetic. For example, the aldol reaction has been used in the large-scale production of the commodity chemical
pentaerythritol and the synthesis of the heart disease drug Lipitor (
atorvastatin, calcium salt).