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Oxymercuration-Reduction

  • Page ID
    40822
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    Alkenes do not undergo hydration upon treatment with water even at very high temperatures. There are two approaches to hydrating alkenes:

    1. Reaction of the alkene with water in the presence of a strong-acid catalyst.
    2. Using an indirect method, such as oxymercuration-reduction, also known as oxymercuration-demercuration or, simply, oxymercuration.

    oxymercurationreduction1.png

    net reaction:

    oxymercurationreduction2.png

    The protocol is carried out in two stages:

    Stage 1: Oxymercuration: The alkene is treated with aqueous mercury (II) acetate, Hg(OAc)2, which converts the alkene into an organomercury compound (see organometallic compound).

    Stage 2: Reduction (Demercuration): The organomercury compound is treated with a reducing agent, usually NaBH4, which converts the organomercury compound into an alcohol.

    eg: Stage 1:

    oxymercurationreduction3.png

    The reaction is an anti addition.

    Stage 2:

    oxymercurationreduction4.png

    Stage 1 + Stage 2 =

    oxymercurationreduction5.png

    The net reaction is a Markovnikov addition:

    oxymercurationreduction6.png

    see also hydroboration-oxidation


    This page titled Oxymercuration-Reduction is shared under a All Rights Reserved (used with permission) license and was authored, remixed, and/or curated by Gamini Gunawardena via source content that was edited to the style and standards of the LibreTexts platform; a detailed edit history is available upon request.

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