The conversion of propene (CH3-CH=CH2) to 1-propanol (CH3-CH2-CH2OH) involves the overall addition of water across the double bond in an anti-Markovnikov fashion. This specific transformation is achieved through the hydroboration-oxidation reaction.
In the first step, propene reacts with diborane (B2H6) to undergo hydroboration, forming a trialkylborane intermediate. In the second step, the intermediate is oxidized using hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) in the presence of an aqueous base (OH−) to yield the primary alcohol, 1-propanol.
- Option A (H2O,H2SO4) and Option C (Hg(OAc)2,NaBH4/H2O) lead to Markovnikov addition of water, which would yield 2-propanol .
- Option D (Aq. KOH) is a reagent typically used for nucleophilic substitution of alkyl halides to form alcohols, not for direct addition to alkenes.