Alkenes acyloxymercuration-demercuration

The acyloxymercuration-demercuration of alkenes provides an alternative route to esters which is probably less prone to caibon skeleton rearrangements than the direct addition of carboxylic acids to alkenes (equation 282). This reaction has recently been reviewed.477 The reaction is most commonly run using mercury(II) acetate in acetic acid, though other mercury salts may be used and aprotic solvents can also be employed. Equilibria have been measured for the reaction of mercury(II) trifluoroacetate and alkenes in tetrahydrofuran, and were found to be solvent dependent.478... 

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