Major Product of Acetaldehyde + Dilute Base: Acetic Acid

[nishant]

if we treat acetaldehyde with dilute base which out of the following two will be the major product:
a}acetic acid
b}alpha hydroxy butanal
Ofcourse anyone would think of an aldol product which would be [B]beta hydroxy butanal[/B],but that is not given here,isn't there a slight chance that acetic acid is formed from oxidation of acetaldehyde by dilute base?

 

[GCT]

didn't I answer this question at chemicalforums? It's acetic acid. Acetaldehyde has alpha hydrogens, yet acetic acid will still be formed in certain amounts due to the reactions between two aldehydes. You can ask any specific questions on the cannizzaro reaction if you wish.

 

[ravenprp]

The major product in this reaction would most likely be acetic acid. This is because acetaldehyde can undergo oxidation in the presence of a dilute base, forming acetic acid as the main product. The formation of alpha hydroxy butanal, or any aldol product, is less likely as it requires a different set of reaction conditions and reagents. Therefore, the answer would be a) acetic acid.