Reaction Summary
Reagents
- Steam,
- or cold concentrated
, then add water
Conditions
- Steam: ~300 °C, 60–70 atm
Catalyst
- Concentrated
(for steam method)
Chemical Equation
Equation
By-Products
- None
Observations
Observations
- No visible change (colourless liquid/solution throughout)
⚠️ 9701 Exam Notes / Pitfalls
Warning
- Treated at 9701 as ordinary electrophilic addition of water across C=C (C=O untouched), following Markovnikov (OH to the carbon with fewer H).
- In reality, C=C conjugated to C=O often adds the other way round (OH on the end carbon) — an exam will usually give you the product or accept either with reasoning.
- Check whether a chiral centre forms.