Oxymercuration-Reduction Alcohols from Olefins

OXYMERCURATION-REDUCTION ALCOHOLS FROM OLEFINS 1-METHYLCYCLOHEXANOL, 53, 94... 

As a general procedure if the olefin is impure, the oxymercura-tion-reduction process may include an olefin purification step. Alternatively, this process may be used to purify the olefin for other purposes. - In such cases, acetone is substituted for ether and, after oxymercuration for the same length of time as suggested above, the solution is poured with stirring into two volumes of water containing one equivalent each of sodium bicarbonate and sodium chloride. The mercury derivative is filtered, recrystallized from ethanol-water, ether, dioxane, or ethyl acetate-heptane and then either reduced as described above (in 70-80% yield) to produce pure alcohol, or deoxy-mercurated with cold 6N HCl, with ethereal lithium aluminum hydride (added cautiously), or high concentrations of alkali halides - to produce the pure olefin. 

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