Dibenzalacetone Lab Report
The properties of dibenzalacetone make it a great substance to be used when protecting the skin from the sun. In the experiment performed, dibenzalacetone was created from an aldol condensation of 2 portions of benzaldehyde and acetone in sodium hydroxide. The reaction that occurred in this experiment is known as a specific aldol condensation called Claisen-Schmidt. In the reaction, the carbonyl of benzaldehyde reacts quickly with the acetone anion to create a hydroxyketone that dehydrates in the presence of a base to give the desired product.
10 mL of 4M sodium hydroxide was added to a 50 mL Erlenmeyer flask. To the sodium hydroxide solution, 16 mL of ethanol was added along with 2.2 mL (2.2g) of benzaldehyde and 0.76 mL (0.60g) of acetone.
10 mL of 4M sodium hydroxide was added to a 50 mL Erlenmeyer flask. To the sodium hydroxide solution, 16 mL of ethanol was added along with 2.2 mL (2.2g) of benzaldehyde and 0.76 mL (0.60g) of acetone.