Phenol is subjected to the following sequence of reactions: (i) CHCl₃ , aq. NaOH , followed by H₃O^+ Major Product A (ii) NaBH₄ in ethanol Major Product B The IUPAC name of the final major product B is:

Step-by-step solution

Step (i) is the Reimer-Tiemann reaction. Phenol reacts with chloroform and aqueous sodium hydroxide, followed by acidification, to form 2-hydroxybenzaldehyde (salicylaldehyde) as the major product A. The ortho-isomer is the major product due to stabilization by intramolecular hydrogen bonding. Step (ii) involves the reduction of product A with sodium borohydride ( NaBH₄ ). NaBH₄ is a mild, chemoselective reducing agent that reduces aldehydes and ketones to their corresponding alcohols, but it does not reduce the ar