Ethene, acid-catalyzed hydration

The acid-catalyzed hydration of alkenes follows Markovnikov s rule => the reaction does not yield 1° alcohols except in the special case of the hydration of ethene. 

Most ethanol for industrial purposes is produced by the acid-catalyzed hydration of ethene. 

In this context it is also worth mentioning that Showa Denko has developed a new process for the direct oxidation of ethene to acetic acid using a combination of palladium(II) and a heteropoly acid [104]. However, the reaction probably involves heteropoly acid-catalyzed hydration followed by palladium-catalyzed aerobic oxidation of ethanol to acetic acid rather than a classical Wacker mechanism. 

Arrange the following compounds in order of increasing rate of acid-catalyzed hydration ethene, propene, 2-cyclopropylpropene, 2-methylpropene, 1-cyclopropyl-1-methoxyethene. Explain the basis of your answer. 

On the other hand, ethanol (ethyl alcohol, CH3CH2OH), which is less toxic, and which is largely made for industrial purposes by the acid-catalyzed hydration of ethene (ethylene, H2C=CH2, Chapter 6), has generated greater interest as a fuel for... 

Ethanol is prepared in large quantities by fermentation of sugars (see Chapter Opening) or by the phosphoric acid-catalyzed hydration of ethene (ethylene). The hydration (and other addition reactions) of alkenes are considered in detail in Chapter 12. 

In Summary The industrial preparation of methanol and 1,2-ethanediol proceeds by reduction of carbon monoxide with hydrogen. Ethanol is prepared by fermentation or the acid-catalyzed hydration of ethene (ethylene). 

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