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How does acetylene react with water to form acetaldehyde?
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aldehyde
Alcohols may be oxidized to give aldehydes, ketones, and carboxylic acids. The oxidation of organic compounds generally increases the number of bonds from carbon to oxygen, and it may decrease the number of bonds to hydrogen.
Acetylene reacts with water through a process known as hydration to form acetaldehyde. This reaction typically requires the presence of mercuric salts as a catalyst.1
During this chemical transformation, the initial product formed is an unstable compound called an enol, which is characterized by an H–O–C=C– group. Because this enol is unstable under the conditions of its formation, it undergoes a structural rearrangement to become an isomer containing a carbonyl group, resulting in the final product, acetaldehyde (CHCHO).21