How many transition states are there in the mechanism for the acid-catalyzed hydration of an alkene?

1 Answer
Jan 27, 2015

There are three transition states in the mechanism for the acid-catalyzed hydration of an alkene.

The acid-catalyzed hydration has three steps:

  1. Protonation of the alkene by hydronium ion (addition of the electrophile).
  2. Addition of water to the carbocation (addition of the nucleophile).
  3. Deprotonation of the oxonium ion.

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Each step has its own transition state. You can see these as three peaks in the energy profile diagram below.

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The video below explains the mechanism for acid-catalyzed hydration of an alkene.