Hydroxypivaldehyde
Hydroxypivaldehyde is the organic compound with the formula HOCH22CCHO. A colorless liquid, it is produced by condensation of formaldehyde and isobutyraldehyde:
The compound is a rare example of a distillable aldol. Upon standing, it dimerizes reversibly to the dioxane derivative.
Applications
Hydroxypivaldehyde is a precursor to vitamin B5 as is practiced commercially.Hydroxypivaldehyde is also a precursor to neopentyl glycol by hydrogenation: