Organic ChemistryReactions of Organic Compounds |
What is Markovnikov’s rule? |
We actually just looked at an example of Markovnikov’s rule! This rule states that when you add a protic acid (like HBr) to an alkene, the proton ends up attached to the carbon with fewer alkyl substituents, while the conjugate base ends up bonded to the carbon with more alkyl substituents. This is because of the stability of the carbocation intermediate that is formed (remember, more substituted means more stable).