Which of the following alkyl halides yields 2-methylpentan-2-ol as the major product upon hydrolysis with aqueous NaOH ?

Step-by-step solution

Retrosynthetic analysis of 2-methylpentan-2-ol shows that the OH group is at the tertiary C2 position. This indicates that the reaction proceeds via a tertiary carbocation at C2. Let us analyze the given options: For 3-chloro-2-methylpentane, ionization of the C-Cl bond yields a secondary carbocation at C3. A 1,2-hydride shift from the adjacent tertiary C2 carbon generates a more stable tertiary carbocation at C2. Nucleophilic attack by H ₂ O / OH ^- on this tertiary carbocation yields 2-methylpentan-2-ol as the ma