Conventional 13C nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy is used to monitor the reactions of butan-2-one and pentan-3-one adsorbed on alumina. Both reaction sequences proceed via successive aldol condensations. The products observed for butan-2-one (5-methyl-4-hepten-3-one and 4-hydroxy-4-methylpentan-Zone) are those expected for homogeneous base catalysis. A J-modulated spin-echo sequence demonstrates that 5-ethyl-4-methyl-5-hepten-3-one, the 8, y condensation product, is obtained using pentan-3-one. The results demonstrate that conventional 13C n.m.r. can be effectively used to distinguish reaction pathways and products for surfacecatalysed reactions.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.