Water Markovnikov addition

Sulfuric acid is about one thousand times more reactive with isobutylene than with the 1- and 2-butenes, and is thereby very useful in separating isobutylene as tert-huty alcohol from the other butenes. The reaction is simply carried out by bubbling or stirring the butylenes into 45—60% H2SO4. This results in the formation of tert-huty hydrogen sulfate. Dilution with water followed by heat hydrolyzes the sulfate to form tert-huty alcohol and sulfuric acid. The Markovnikov addition implies that isobutyl alcohol is not formed. The hydration of butylenes is most important for isobutylene, either directiy or via the butyl hydrogen sulfate. 

Hydration of alkynes (Section 9.12) Reaction occurs by way of an enol intermediate formed by Markovnikov addition of water to the triple bond. 

One of the features that makes the hydrobora ( ion reaction so useful is the regiochemistry that results when an unsymmetrical alkene is hydroborated. For example, hydroboration/oxidation of 1-methylcyclopentene yields trans-2-methylcydopentanol. Boron and hydrogen both add to the alkene from the same face of the double bond—that is, with syn stereochemistry, the opposite of anti—with boron attaching to the less highly substituted carbon. During the oxidation step, the boron is replaced by an -OH with the same stereochemistry, resulting in an overall syn non-Markovnikov addition of water. This stereochemical result is particularly useful because it is complementary to the Markovnikov regiochemistry observed for oxymercuration. 

Hydration of an alkene—the addition of water—is carried out by either of two procedures, depending on the product desired. Oxymercuration involves electrophilic addition of Hg2+ to an alkene, followed by trapping of the cation intermediate with water and subsequent treatment with NaBH4. Hydroboration involves addition of borane (BH3) followed by oxidation of the intermediate organoborane with alkaline H202- The two hydration methods are complementary oxymercuration gives the product of Markovnikov addition, whereas hydroboration/oxidation gives the product with non-Markovnikov syn stereochemistry. 

We saw in Section 7.4 that alkenes react with water in the presence of mercuric acetate to yield a hvdroxymercuration product. Subsequent treatment with NaBH4 breaks the C-Hg bond and yields the alcohol. A similar alkoxymercuration reaction occurs when an alkenc is treated with an alcohol in the presence of mercuric acetate or, even better, mercuric trifluoroacetate, (Cl CCtitiHg. Demercura-tion by reaction with NaBH4 then yields an ether. The net result is Markovnikov addition of the alcohol to the alkene. 

ANSWER In this case, H and OH are added across the pi bond in an anti-Markovnikov addition. No stereocenters were formed, so the stereochemical outcome is not relevant. We have only seen one way to achieve an anti-Markovnikov addition of water across a pi bond hydroboration-oxidation. Therefore, our answer is ... 

In 1993, ten challenges faced the catalysis research community. One of these was the anti-Markovnikov addition of water or ammonia to olefins to directly synthesize primary alcohols or amines [323]. Despite some progress, the direct addition of N-H bonds across unsaturated C-C bonds, an apparently simple reaction, stiU remains a challenging fundamental and economic task for the coming century. 

In 1998, Wakatsuki et al. reported the first anti-Markonikov hydration of 1-alkynes to aldehydes by an Ru(II)/phosphine catalyst. Heating 1-alkynes in the presence of a catalytic amount of [RuCljlCgHs) (phosphine)] phosphine = PPh2(QF5) or P(3-C6H4S03Na)3 in 2-propanol at 60-100°C leads to predominantly anti-Markovnikov addition of water and yields aldehydes with only a small amount of methyl ketones (Eq. 6.47) [95]. They proposed the attack of water on an intermediate ruthenium vinylidene complex. The C-C bond cleavage or decarbonylation is expected to occur as a side reaction together with the main reaction leading to aldehyde formation. Indeed, olefins with one carbon atom less were always detected in the reaction mixtures (Scheme 6-21). 

Recently, on the basis of the Markovnikov addition of water to alkynes, Trost et al. developed a three-component addition reaction of terminal alkynes, water, and methyl vinyl ketone, affording 1,5-diketones in DMF/water in the presence of ruthenium and indium catalysts (Eq. 4.38). 

The rate-determining step in the hydration mechanism is step 1 the formation of the carbocation => accounts for the Markovnikov addition of water to the double bond. 

The net result of hydroboration-oxidation is an anti-Markovnikov addition of water to a double bond. 

Mechanism of the Markovnikov addition of water to an alkene to yield an alcohol. 

The anti-Markovnikov addition of carbamates to terminal alkynes was introduced as the first example of catalytically active metal vinylidene in 1986. The development of this concept to other O-nucleophiles followed immediately and carboxylic adds, water and allylic alcohols were used to produce the corresponding addition produds. The... 

Hydration of alkenes can also be achieved either by oxymerciiration-reduction (Markovnikov addition of water) or hydroboration-oxidation (a ti-Markovnikov addition of water). Addition of water by oxymercura-tion-reduction or hydroboration-oxidation has two advantages over the acid-catalysed addition of water. These procedures do not require acidic condition, and carbocation rearrangements never occur. Thus, they give high yields of alcohols. 

Oxymercuration-reduction of alkenes preparation of alcohols Addition of water to alkenes by oxymercuration-reduction produces alcohols via Markovnikov addition. This addition is similar to the acid-catalysed addition of water. Oxymercuration is regiospecific and auft -stereospecific. In the addition reaction, Hg(OAc) bonds to the less substituted carbon, and the OH to the more substituted carbon of the double bond. For example, propene reacts with mercuric acetate in the presence of an aqueous THF to give a hydroxy-mercurial compound, followed by reduction with sodium borohydride (NaBH4) to yield 2-propanol. 

Hydroboration-oxidation of alkynes preparation of aldehydes and ketones Hydroboration-oxidation of terminal alkynes gives syn addition of water across the triple bond. The reaction is regioselective and follows anti-Markovnikov addition. Terminal alkynes are converted to aldehydes, and all other alkynes are converted to ketones. A sterically hindered dialkylborane must be used to prevent the addition of two borane molecules. A vinyl borane is produced with anU-Markovnikov orientation, which is oxidized by basic hydrogen peroxide to an enol. This enol tautomerizes readily to the more stable keto form. 

Acid-catalyzed addition of water and alcohols to 4/f-chromenes gives the expected products as predicted by Markovnikov s rule (56JCS4785) an anti-Markovnikov addition of methanol followed by the reintroduction of a double bond in the alternative position gives an overall effect of substitution of hydrogen by methoxy and this is effected by treating methyl 2if-chromene-3-carboxylate (166) with triphenylmethyl perchlorate and addition of methanol to the resulting benzopyrylium salt (167) (72CR(C)(274)650). 

Ionene, a commercial fragrance, has been prepared traditionally by treatment of a- and /3-iononcs with hydriodic acid containing phosphorus or by distillative heating in the presence of 0.5% iodine. In an unoptimized demonstration, cyclization occurred more cleanly and simply by MBR with /3-ionone in water at 250 °C (Scheme 19) [83]. Work-up also was facilitated, as the need for removal of catalyst or the formation and separation of bi-products was avoided. At elevated temperature, the addition of water to olefins can occur readily, without adding catalyst. (S)-(+)-carvone in water for 10 min at 180 °C afforded optically pure 8-hydroxy-p-6-mcnlhcn-2-one as an intermediate toward carvacrol [84], Addition of water across the 8,9-double bond of carvone occurred regioselectively, by Markovnikov addition. Carvacrol itself was obtained almost quantitatively from carvone at 250 °C after 10 min (Scheme 19) [84]. 

These reactions illustrate the importance of ruthenium vinylidene species, as activated forms of terminal alkynes, in catalysis, because they favor the addition of O-nudeophiles (carbamic and carboxylic acids, alcohols, water) to terminal alkynes and completely reverse the expected regioselectivity of the addition. These examples also show that the activation processes are very sensitive to the nature of the nucleophiles, and the success of the awtt-Markovnikov addition to terminal alkynes is highly dependent on both the electron richness and steric hindrance of the ancillary ligands coordinated to the active site. 

In contrast, a Markovnikov addition of water was reported in the irradiation of a variety of o-hydroxystyrenes, again in aqueous acetonitrile, with the formation of 2-(2-hydroxyphenyl)ethanols. In this case, an intramolecular proton transfer from the excited state of the styrene was envisaged as the first step of the reaction [51]. A similar mechanism was postulated in the photohydratation of m-hydroxy-1,1 -diaryl alkenes that gave the corresponding 1,1-diarylethanols, although direct protonation of the P-carbon by water competed in some cases [52]. 

The epoxidation-epoxide opening sequence with this reagent provides a convenient access to the products of an //-Markovnikov addition of water to olefins. Interestingly, the Cp2TiCl/H20 couple combination shows anti stereoselectivity in the reduction step [73, 74], which is complementary to the hydroboration-oxidation method (Scheme 32). 

Hexyne has the triple bond in the middle of a carbon chain and is termed an internal alkyne. If, instead, an alkyne with the triple bond at the end of the carbon chain, a 1-alkyne or a terminal alkyne, were used in this reaction, then the reaction might be useful for the synthesis of aldehydes. The boron is expected to add to the terminal carbon of a 1-alkyne. Reaction with basic hydrogen peroxide would produce the enol resulting from anti-Markovnikov addition of water to the alkyne. Tautomerization of this enol would produce an aldehyde. Unfortunately, the vinylborane produced from a 1-alkyne reacts with a second equivalent of boron as shown in the following reaction. The product, with two borons bonded to the end carbon, does not produce an aldehyde when treated with basic hydrogen peroxide. 

Labelling experiments clearly showed that the oxygen atom of the aldehyde came from external water, which confirmed the anti-Markovnikov addition of H20 with concomitant dehydration of the alkynol. A Ru(IV) hydride bearing an allenylidene [RuH(Cp)(PMe3)2(=C=C=CHR)]+ (O) or hydroxyvinylidene [RuH(Cp)(PMe3)2(=C=CH=C(OH)HR)]+ (P) ligand is claimed as the key intermediate (see also Scheme 6). 

Isomerization of allylic alcohol to ketone has been extensively studied [13], and two different pathways have been established, including tt-allyl metal hydride and the metal hydride addition-elimination mechanisms [5,14]. McGrath and Grubbs [ 15] investigated the ruthenium-catalyzed isomerization of allyl alcohol in water and proposed a modified metal hydride addition-elimination mechanism through an oxygen-functionality-directed Markovnikov addition to the double bond. 

Oxidation of the vinylborane (using basic hydrogen peroxide) gives a vinyl alcohol (end), resulting from anti-Markovnikov addition of water across the triple bond. This end quickly tautomerizes to its more stable carbonyl (keto) form. In the case of a terminal alkyne, the keto product is an aldehyde. This sequence is an excellent method for converting terminal alkynes to aldehydes. 

Hydroboration-Oxidation of Alkynes Hydroboration-oxidation of an alkyne gives anti-Markovnikov addition of water across the triple bond. Di(secondary isoamyl)borane, called disiamylborane, is used, since this bulky borane cannot add twice across the triple bond. On oxidation of the borane, the unstable enol quickly tautomerizes to an aldehyde. (See Section 9-9F.)... 

Hydrogen peroxide, H202 Oxidizes organoboranes to yield alcohols. Used in conjunction with addition of borane to alkenes, the overall transformation effects syn Markovnikov addition of water to an alkene (Section 7.5). 

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