Question

Formation of alcohol by oxymercuration- demercuration of alkenes

• A. involves carbocations and rearrangement
• B. involves carbanions and retoangement
• C. is stereospecific
• D. does not involve rearrangement and carbocation

Answer 1

Answer: (D)

does not involve rearrangement and carbocation

Answer 2

Oxymercuration-demercuration of alkenes involves following steps : (i) Dissociation of mercury (II) acetate $CH _{3} COO - Hg - OCOCH _{3} \longrightarrow \underset{\text{electrophile}}{CH _{3} COO - Hg ^{+}}+ CH _{3} COO ^{-}$ (ii) Attack of electrophile on double bond of alkene undefined (iii) Addition of water Hence, oxymercuration-demercuration process involves, reduction and bridged mercurinium ion formation.