Aldol condensation is a very important reaction in forming new C = C bond, and is an attractive way to extend the carbon chain of a molecule. In this research, diethylammonium acetate was used as an acid–base bifunctional catalyst to facilitate the formation of methacrolein via cross aldol condensation between formaldehyde and propionaldehyde. A conversion of 99.9% of propionaldehyde with a 97.4% selectivity to methacrolein (MAL) was achieved. Isotopic tracing experiments were used to propose a possible reaction mechanism. To verify the reactive pathway, we used isotopically labelled substrates. In addition, we attempted to trap the relevant reaction intermediate by decreasing the reaction temperature.

Graphical Abstract

中文翻译：

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从甲醛和丙醛形成甲基丙烯醛的机理洞察

羟醛缩合是形成新的 C = C 键的一个非常重要的反应，是延长分子碳链的一种有吸引力的方式。在这项研究中，醋酸二乙铵被用作酸碱双功能催化剂，通过甲醛和丙醛之间的交叉羟醛缩合促进异丁烯醛的形成。实现了 99.9% 的丙醛转化率和 97.4% 的甲基丙烯醛 (MAL) 选择性。同位素示踪实验被用来提出可能的反应机制。为了验证反应途径，我们使用同位素标记的底物。此外，我们试图通过降低反应温度来捕获相关的反应中间体。

图形概要