what is a crossed aldol reaction used for
The aldol reaction is a means of forming carbonâ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 Î²-hydroxy carbonyl compound.or 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). The aldol reaction unites two relatively simple molecules into a more complex one.