Question

Draw a structural formula of an alkene or alkenes (if more than one) that undergo acid-catalyzed hydration and without re-arrangement give 2-butanol as the major product.

Answer 1

See explanation

Step-by-step explanation:

Hydration of alkenes is a common reaction in organic chemistry. Hydration is simply the addition of water to an alkene. This is an acid catalysed reaction as we can see from the mechanism attached.

Recall that our task is to carry out the synthesis of 2-butanol using an alkene starting material in which there will be no rearrangement of the intermediate carbocation. If we start with the compound shown in the image (but-2-ene), the first step is the formation of the secondary carbocation. This is followed by the addition of water. Subsequently, the added water is deprotonated by another water molecule to yield 2-butanol and the acid catalyst. All these steps have been clearly outlined in the image attached.