The intermediate radical can be trapped with molecular oxygen and gives a mixture of stereoisomers. This reaction includes two steps In the first step, a positively charged cyclic intermediate called mercurinium ion is formed via the addition of mercury acetate to the double bond.
Oxymercuration demercuration is an addition reaction that can be used to turn an alkene into alcohol This intermediate is then reduced with sodium borohydride to form the final product. In this reaction, an alkene reacts with mercury (ii) acetate (hg (oac) 2) in aqueous thf, followed by reduction with sodium borohydride (nabh 4).
Oxymercuration (addition of mercuric acetate and water) and demercuration (reduction to replace mercury with hydrogen).
