How is the mechanism for oxymercuration/demercuration reactions of alkenes understood?  How are the  (Markovnikov) products predicted and what reagents would you need to use to incorporate this reaction into a multistep synthesis strategy. Finally, what makes this a potentially more useful way to synthesize alcohols from alkenes than simple acid hydration?

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ОН 1. H(OAc)2, На0 2. NABH4 .CH3 CH3 H2C H3C Acid-catalyzed addition of water to an alkene yields an alcohol with Markovnikov regiochemistry. The electrophilic H adds to the sp carbon with the most hydrogens to yield the most stable carbocation intermediate, which then adds water to give the product alcohol. Because a carbocation intermediate is formed, rearrangements can occur prior to the addition of water. To avoid the possibility of rearrangement and still give a Markovnikov alcohol, alkenes can instead be treated with mercury(II) acetate in aqueous THF and then subsequently reduced with sodium borohydride. This reaction proceeds through a cyclic mercurinium ion intermediate which cannot rearrange. Water adds to the cyclic intermediate at the most substituted carbon to give an organomercury alcohol. The reduction step with sodium borohydride is complex and involves radicals. Draw curved arrows to show the movement of electrons in this step of the mechanism. Arrow-pushing…

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