JEE Main 20266 AprilMorning Shift
- Exam
- JEE Main
- Year
- 2026
- Date
- 6 April
- Shift
- Morning Shift
- Subject
- Chemistry
- Chapter
- Alcohols Phenols and Ethers
JEE Main 2026 · 6 April · Morning Shift · Chemistry · Alcohols Phenols and Ethers
Consider the following sequence of reactions The major product P is:
Consider the following sequence of reactions

The major product P is:
The major product P is:
Options
- A

- B

- C

- D

Correct answer
C. 
Step-by-step solution
Step 1: The first reagent is Cu at . When a tertiary alcohol like tert-butyl alcohol is passed over heated copper at , it undergoes dehydration rather than dehydrogenation to form an alkene.
The intermediate product is isobutylene (2-methylpropene).
Step 2: The second set of reagents is and (benzoic acid). This is an acid-catalyzed addition of a carboxylic acid to an alkene, which is a standard method for synthesizing tert-butyl esters.
First, the alkene is protonated by the acid to form the most stable carbocation, which is the tertiary butyl carbocation:
Next, the carboxylic acid acts as a nucleophile and attacks the carbocation. The oxygen atom of the benzoic acid attacks the tert-butyl carbocation, followed by deprotonation:
The final major product is tert-butyl benzoate. Electrophilic aromatic substitution (Friedel-Crafts alkylation) on the benzene ring does not occur here because the group is strongly deactivating, making O-alkylation (ester formation) the highly preferred pathway.
Comparing this with the given options, Option (C) represents the structure of tert-butyl benzoate.
Answer:
The intermediate product is isobutylene (2-methylpropene).
Step 2: The second set of reagents is and (benzoic acid). This is an acid-catalyzed addition of a carboxylic acid to an alkene, which is a standard method for synthesizing tert-butyl esters.
First, the alkene is protonated by the acid to form the most stable carbocation, which is the tertiary butyl carbocation:
Next, the carboxylic acid acts as a nucleophile and attacks the carbocation. The oxygen atom of the benzoic acid attacks the tert-butyl carbocation, followed by deprotonation:
The final major product is tert-butyl benzoate. Electrophilic aromatic substitution (Friedel-Crafts alkylation) on the benzene ring does not occur here because the group is strongly deactivating, making O-alkylation (ester formation) the highly preferred pathway.
Comparing this with the given options, Option (C) represents the structure of tert-butyl benzoate.
Answer: