The oxymercuration reaction is an electrophilic addition organic reaction that transforms an alkene into a neutral alcohol. In oxymercuration, the alkene reacts with mercuric acetate (AcO-Hg-OAc) in aqueous solution to yield the addition of an acetoxymercuri (HgOAc) group and a hydroxy (OH) group across the double bond. Carbocations are not formed in this process and thus rearrangements are not observed. The reaction follows Markovnikov's rule (the hydroxy group will always be added to the more substituted carbon) and it is an anti addition (the two groups will be trans to each other).
Oxymercuration followed by demercuration is called an oxymercuration-reduction reaction. This reaction, which is almost always done in practice instead of oxymercuration, is treated at the conclusion of the article.
Read more about Oxymercuration Reaction: Mechanism, Regioselectivity and Stereochemistry, Oxymercuration-reduction, Other Applications
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