The mechanism of the dehydration of alcohols and the hydration of alkenes in acid solution

Kinetic data for the hydration of unsaturated compounds, the dehydration of alcohols, and the isotope exchange of the oxygen atom in alcohols and aqueous solutions of strong acids are analysed to establish the detailed mechanisms of these reactions. The catalytic action of the acid is caused not only by its ability to protonate the reactant but also by the possibility of the formation of reactive complexes of the reactant with the acid hydrates or the molecules of the undissociated acids. Equations are presented whereby the influence of the ionising capacity of the medium on the effective rate constants for the reactions indicated can be taken into account quantitatively. The question of the involvement of carbonium ions as reactive intermediates in reactions involving the dehydration of alcohols, the hydration of unsaturated compounds, and the isotope exchange of the oxygen atom in alcohols is examined. Complexes of the reactant with a solvated proton, the acid molecules, and the acid hydrates are the intermediates in these reactions. The relative contributions of the complexes to the effective rate constant depend on the acid concentration in the aqueous solution.
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