There has been considerable interest in the transition metal-catalyzed hydration of alkenes as an alternative to acid-catalyzed or heavy metal-mediated approaches to hydration, particularly as a means to achieve anti-Markovnikov addition. 1 However, effective transition metal-catalyzed hydration of simple alkenes has not been realized. Complexes of a number of transition metals including Pt(II), 2, 2a, 2b, 2c and 3 Hg(II), 3 and 4 Au(I), 5, 5a and 5b and Ru(II) 6, 6a, 6b, ...
