Which product results from acid-catalyzed hydration of pent-1-ene?

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Multiple Choice

Which product results from acid-catalyzed hydration of pent-1-ene?

Acid-catalyzed hydration follows Markovnikov regioselectivity: water adds in a way that puts the OH on the more substituted carbon of the former double bond. For pent-1-ene, the double bond is at the end, so protonation forms a secondary carbocation on the internal carbon (C2). Water then attacks that carbocation, and deprotonation yields an alcohol on C2. The resulting product is pentan-2-ol. This aligns with the idea that the more substituted carbocation intermediate leads to the OH ending up on the second carbon, not the terminal one.

Acid-catalyzed hydration follows Markovnikov regioselectivity: water adds in a way that puts the OH on the more substituted carbon of the former double bond. For pent-1-ene, the double bond is at the end, so protonation forms a secondary carbocation on the internal carbon (C2). Water then attacks that carbocation, and deprotonation yields an alcohol on C2. The resulting product is pentan-2-ol. This aligns with the idea that the more substituted carbocation intermediate leads to the OH ending up on the second carbon, not the terminal one.

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