During an experimental workup procedure, a chemist treated a starting material with NaoH in the solvent acetone `[(CH_(3))_(2)C=O]`, however, the starting material was recovered unreacted. Instead, the chemist isolated a small amount of product A (shown below).
Product A
1. Elemental analysis of product A indicated that it consisted only of carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen.
2. Product A had a molecular weight of 116 g/mol.
3. Product A was a methyl ketone because it gave a positive iodoform test.
4. When product A was treated with `Br_(2)` in `C Cl_(4)`, the red bromine colour persisted, because no carbon-carbon double bonds were present to react with the bromine.
The structure of product A was further confirmed when treatment with hot sulfuric acid resulted in the corresponding dehydration product, product (B)gt
Q. The aldol self-condensation of acetone is an equilibrium that favours acetone over its condensation product. which of the following experimental modifications is most likely to shift the position of equilibrium towards product A?
A. Using only a catalytic amount of NaOH
B. Using only a catalytic amount of acetone
C. Removing product product A as it is formed
D. Increasing the reaction temperature to the boiling point of acetone.
