Two moles of benzaldehyde and one mole of acetone under alkaline conditions using aqueous NaOH after heating gives x as the major product. The number of π bonds in the product x is
Answer: 9
Solution
Two moles of benzaldehyde (PhCHO) undergo a double crossed-aldol (Claisen–Schmidt) condensation with one mole of acetone under NaOH, giving dibenzylideneacetone:
PhCH=CH−CO−CH=CHPh
π-bond count: 2 phenyl rings × 3 π bonds each =6, plus 2 alkene C=C bonds, plus 1 carbonyl C=O: 6+2+1=9.