Silica-supported HgSO4/H2SO4: a convenient reagent for the hydration of alkynes under mild conditions

The silica-supported aqueous-phase catalyst (SAPC) approach has proven convenient for efficiently performing the hydration of alkynes with HgSO4/H2SO4 to give the corresponding carbonyl compounds in dichloromethane under mild conditions. The use of this solid reagent significantly improves the reaction work-up as it merely involves filtering and evaporating the solvent.