Identify the major product of the following reaction:

Step-by-step solution

The given reactant is 5-oxohexanoic acid, which contains both a ketone and a carboxylic acid functional group. Reaction with NaBH ₄ NaBH ₄ is a mild and selective reducing agent. It reduces aldehydes and ketones to their corresponding alcohols but does not reduce carboxylic acids. Therefore, the ketone group at C-5 is reduced to a secondary alcohol, while the carboxylic acid group at C-1 remains unaffected. The intermediate formed is 5-hydroxyhexanoic acid. CH ₃- C (= O )- CH ₂- CH ₂- CH ₂- COOH NaBH ₄ CH ₃- CH ( O