Final answer:
To find the reactants for an aldol condensation product, identify the components of the product and reverse the aldol formation and dehydration. Typically, this involves an aldehyde or ketone with an alpha hydrogen reacting with a carbonyl compound to form the aldol adduct, which upon dehydration gives the final product.
Step-by-step explanation:
To determine the reactants that would yield a given aldol condensation product, one must first identify the two components of the product that originally formed the aldol adduct. An aldol reaction involves a carbonyl compound with an alpha hydrogen reacting with another carbonyl compound. These reactants, usually aldehydes or ketones, combine such that the alpha hydrogen of the first compound adds to the carbonyl group of the second compound, forming an aldol. Subsequent dehydration leads to the aldol condensation product, which typically consists of an alkene with a carbonyl group.
In the case of the product specified, back-track the molecule by breaking the bond between the alkene and the carbonyl group and adding the removed elements (hydrogen and hydroxyl group) back to reconstruct the initial aldol adduct. From this, the original aldehyde or ketone reactants can be deduced.
For example, if the product were 3-hexene-2-one, the potential reactants could be acetaldehyde (ethanal) and acetone (propanone), wherein acetaldehyde provides the alpha hydrogen and acetone serves as the carbonyl component to which the alpha hydrogen is added.