Identify the major product of the following reaction:

Step-by-step solution

The given reactant is a cis-1,2-diol (specifically, cis-1,2,3,4-tetrahydronaphthalene-1,2-diol). When a cis-1,2-diol reacts with a ketone like acetone in the presence of an acid catalyst ( H^+ ), it undergoes a condensation reaction to form a cyclic acetal (specifically, a ketal known as an acetonide). The reaction proceeds via the elimination of a water molecule. The two hydroxyl oxygen atoms of the diol bond to the carbonyl carbon of acetone. Since acetone has two methyl groups attached to its carbonyl carbon, th