Plural of aldol; organic compounds formed when two molecules of an aldehyde join together through a chemical reaction called aldol condensation.
From 'aldehyde' + 'alcohol,' coined in the 19th century by German chemists to describe the product of combining these two types of molecules. The term reflects the compound's dual nature.
Aldol condensation is so important in chemistry that it's one of the named reactions you learn in organic chemistry class—right up there with the Grignard reaction! It's also how nature builds complex molecules in living cells.
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