Let's review briefly some of the methods of alcohol preparation we've already seen:
Alcohols can be prepared by hydration of alkenes. Because the direct hydration of alkenes with aqueous acid is generally a poor reaction in the laboratory, twe indirect methods are commonly used. Hydroboretion/oxidation yields the product of syn, non-Markovnikov hydration (Section 7.5 ), whereasoxymercration/reduction yields the product of Markovnikov hydration (Section 7.4 ). Both reactions are generally applicable to most alkenes.