 This is the mechanism they suggested (where hydrogen shifts may also be interpreted as hydrogen exchanges in acid).One of the drawbacks of the Robinsons’ methods for the synthesis of fatty acids are the low yields due to the recoveries of a significant portion of the dialdehyde.The justification by Gertrude Robinson for this low yield was that the aldehyde intermediate was a weaker acid than acetic acid, which was removed during a step in the hydrolysis.