Acid catalyzed hydration of alkenes involves replacing the pi bond on an alkene with a water molecule. This is done by adding an alcohol to the more substituted carbon atom, and hydrogen to the less substituted carbon atom. This reaction follows Markovnikov’s rule and may undergo a carbocation rearrangement. If it is chiral, the product […]
Backpack Trick for Organic Chemistry Reactions
When it comes to organic chemistry reactions, many students focus on learning the EXACT steps by memorizing the SPECIFIC molecules presented in their books and lecture slides. Then, when something looks even slightly different on the exam, they panic! One such scenario: replacing water with alcohol in a reaction sequence – either as the attacking molecule or […]