The major product of the following reaction is:

- A
- B
- C
- D
The major product of the following reaction is:

Correct answer:C
Standard Method
Given: Propanal reacts with excess formaldehyde in alkali under reflux.
Find: The major organic product.
The reliable conclusion in the solution states that the correct option is C. Under these conditions, successive hydroxymethylation at the -carbon followed by reduction leads to the trimethylol product.
Thus the major product is
Therefore, the correct option is C.
Note: The solution text is internally inconsistent: one approach describes aldol chemistry and another mentions crossed Cannizzaro to propanol, but the page explicitly marks C as the correct option. Hence the answer is taken as C from the solution.
Using the page conclusion despite inconsistent working
Given: the solution's shows the reaction of propanal with excess formaldehyde in alkali and lists four options.
Find: Which option matches the major product.
From the solution:
Option C corresponds to
So the major product, as extracted from the source, is option C.
Mistake: Treating the reaction as giving only simple reduction of propanal to . Why wrong: that corresponds to option A, but the solution's marks C as correct. What to do instead: rely on the final marked option on the solution when the working is inconsistent.
Mistake: Following the first paragraph of the solution as a plain aldol dehydration to an -unsaturated aldehyde. Why wrong: that would not match the final source answer. What to do instead: compare the worked text with the explicitly declared correct option and use the declared option when extracting.
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