The Cross Cannizzaro reaction is an important organic chemistry reaction for CBSE, JEE and NEET examinations. It occurs when two different aldehydes, generally formaldehyde and a non-enolisable aldehyde, react in the presence of a concentrated strong base such as NaOH or KOH.

A non-enolisable aldehyde is an aldehyde that does not contain an α-hydrogen atom. In this reaction, one aldehyde is oxidised to a carboxylate salt, while the other aldehyde is reduced to an alcohol.

Mechanism of Cannizaro’s reaction of benzaldehyde