An alcohol, whose structure is shown in the figure, is heated with concentrated hydroiodic acid (HI) to yield a major alkyl halide product via a substitution mechanism. What is the IUPAC name of this major product?

Step-by-step solution

The given reactant is 3,3-dimethylbutan-2-ol. When heated with concentrated HI, the reaction proceeds via an S_N1 mechanism. The hydroxyl group is first protonated by HI to form a good leaving group ( -OH₂^+ ). Loss of a water molecule generates a secondary carbocation: CH₃-C(CH₃)₂-CH⁺-CH₃ . To achieve greater stability, this secondary carbocation undergoes a 1,2-methyl shift, rearranging into a more stable tertiary carbocation: CH₃-C⁺(CH₃)-CH(CH₃)-CH₃ . The iodide ion ( I^- ) then acts as a nucleophile and attacks