When 2-butyne is treated with dilute H ₂ SO ₄/ HgSO ₄ , the product formed is:

Step-by-step solution

The reaction of an alkyne with dilute H ₂ SO ₄ in the presence of HgSO ₄ is known as Kucherov's reaction, which results in the hydration of the alkyne. For 2-butyne ( CH ₃- C C - CH ₃ ), the addition of a water molecule across the triple bond initially forms an unstable enol intermediate. CH ₃- C C - CH ₃ + H ₂ O Hg ²⁺, H ^+ CH ₃- C ( OH )= CH - CH ₃ The enol intermediate undergoes tautomerization to form the more stable keto form, which is butanone. CH ₃- C ( OH )= CH - CH ₃ CH ₃- CO - CH ₂- CH ₃ Thus, the final p