---
title: "Aldol condensation Template – Chemistry Diagram | MolDraw"
url: https://www.moldraw.com/templates/aldol-condensation/
description: "Aldol condensation template: Two acetaldehydes give crotonaldehyde: enolate formation, addition, protonation, deprotonation and loss of hydroxide. Preview…"
lang: en
publisher: Scidart Academy
generated: 2026-10-28
---
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# Aldol condensation template

![Aldol condensation template: Two acetaldehydes give crotonaldehyde: enolate formation, addition, protonation, deprotonation and loss of hydroxide.](https://www.moldraw.com/templates/aldol-condensation.webp)

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Two acetaldehydes give crotonaldehyde: enolate formation, addition, protonation, deprotonation and loss of hydroxide.

## Mechanism step by step

Aldol addition followed by base-promoted loss of water (E1cB) to an enal

1. **Enolate** – Hydroxide removes an α-H; the charge moves onto O
2. **Addition** – The enolate attacks a second aldehyde
3. **Protonation** – Water gives the aldol (β-hydroxy aldehyde)
4. **Second enolate** – On heating, another α-H is removed
5. **Loss of OH⁻** – E1cB: the C=C forms, conjugated with C=O

## Key points

- Room temperature stops at the aldol; heating drives the condensation.
- Conjugation of C=C with C=O makes the enal the stable product.
- Crossed aldols work best when one partner has no α-H (e.g. benzaldehyde).
- Intramolecular versions make five- and six-membered rings.

Drawn with 75 atoms, 18 arrows, 7 shapes – every one editable in MolDraw.

## Sources

- [Clayden, Greeves & Warren, Organic Chemistry, 2nd ed., OUP 2012, ch. 26](https://openlibrary.org/isbn/9780199270293) Textbook
- [Smith, March's Advanced Organic Chemistry, 8th ed., Wiley 2020](https://openlibrary.org/isbn/9781119371809) Textbook

## How to use this template

1. Press **Edit in MolDraw**. The template opens on the canvas of the free MolDraw editor.
2. Change anything: move structures, edit atoms and labels, recolour highlights or delete what you do not need.
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## Frequently asked questions

### Is the Aldol condensation template free?

You can preview the Aldol condensation template here and open and edit it in MolDraw for free. Downloading or exporting it is part of MolDraw Pro, together with the other premium templates.

### Can I edit the Aldol condensation template?

Yes. It opens as an ordinary MolDraw drawing, so every structure, arrow, label and colour can be changed, and you can add your own content around it.

### Is the chemistry checked?

Every structure is checked with RDKit and every curly arrow passes MolDraw’s electron-flow audit. The sources used are listed on this page.

### What is a curly-arrow mechanism template?

A ready-made drawing of a reaction mechanism in which curved arrows show where electron pairs move in each step. You can open it in MolDraw, change the substrate and reuse it.

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