Catalyst- and acid-free Markovnikov hydration of alkynes in a sustainable H2O/ethyl lactate system

1-Butyl-3-methylimidazolium tetrafluoroborate as suitable solvent for BF3: the case of alkyne hydration. Chemistry vs electrochemistry

“…The efficiency of the reported catalysts and of the examined reaction conditions are variable according to the alkynes considered and, nowadays, the identification of new catalysts as well as increasingly mild, economic and sustainable reaction conditions remain fundamental objectives for research in the field of organic chemistry. In recent years, alternative methods have been developed, including the use of different heterogeneous catalysts, to ensure their recovery and reusability after several reaction cycles [55][56][57][58][59][60][61][62][63][64][65][66][67][68], or the use of eco-friendly reaction media [69][70][71][72]. Recently, Zhang and co-workers reported an electrochemical procedure for the hydration of arylacetylenes, under mild reaction conditions, without transition metal catalysts, added oxidants, or strong acids involved, using Selectfluor (1-(chloromethyl)-4-fluoro-1,4-diazabicyclo[2.2.2]octane-1,4-diium ditetrafluoroborate) as essential additive [73].…”