Identify the major product formed in the following two-step reaction sequence.

Step-by-step solution

In the first step, benzoic acid reacts with thionyl chloride ( SOCl₂ ). This is a standard method for converting carboxylic acids into acid chlorides. The hydroxyl group ( -OH ) of the carboxylic acid is replaced by a chlorine atom ( -Cl ), yielding benzoyl chloride ( C₆H₅COCl ). In the second step, benzoyl chloride undergoes a nucleophilic acyl substitution reaction with ethylamine ( CH₃CH₂NH₂ ). The nitrogen atom of ethylamine acts as a nucleophile and attacks the electrophilic carbonyl carbon of benzoyl chloride