What would be the correct mechanism for hydration of ethene? Given above is the mechanism that I drew but my textbook puts it a bit differently. It says that the ethene is dissovled in the concentrated $\ce{H2SO4}$ to form ethyl hydrogen sulphate $\ce{CH3-CH2OSO3H}$ which when diluted with water reacts to form ethanol and the acid
$$\ce{CH3CH2OSO3H + H-OH -&gt; CH3CH2OH + H2SO4}$$
So which mechanism is true?
At first I thought your mechanism was very comprehensive but upon closer inspection I think it has some flaws because in this reaction conc. sulphuric acid is used as a catalyst and it must be regenerated at the end and in the above mechanism only ethanol is generated.



This must be the mechanism shown in your book.