Question
Complete the following reaction sequence and give the name of major product 'P'. CH_3-CH_2-C N [ (ii) H_3O^+] (i) OH^-/H_2O/ [ (iv) H_2O] (iii) Cl_2/ Red P P (Major product)
JEE Main
Chemistry
Carboxylic Acid Derivatives
2026
JEE Main 2026 (05 April Shift 2)
JEE Main Chemistry Question (2026) — Solution
Options
- A. 2-Chloropropanoic acid
- B. 3-Chloropropanoic acid
- C. 1-Chloropropane
- D. 2-Chloropropane
Answer
A. 2-Chloropropanoic acid
Step-by-step solution
Step 1: Hydrolysis of the nitrile. Propanenitrile on basic hydrolysis followed by acidic workup gives propanoic acid: CH_3-CH_2-C N [(ii)\ H_3O^+] (i)\ OH^-/H_2O/ CH_3-CH_2-COOH Step 2: Hell-Volhard-Zelinsky (HVZ) reaction. Propanoic acid has an sp^3 -carbon bearing two -hydrogens. In the HVZ reaction, Cl_2 in the presence of red phosphorus selectively replaces one -hydrogen by chlorine, giving the -chloro acid after aqueous workup: CH_3-CH_2-COOH [(iv)\ H_2O] (iii)\ Cl_2/ Red P CH_3-CH(Cl)-COOH Hence, the major product P is 2-chloropropanoic acid, which corresponds to option (1).
Related: Chemistry — Carboxylic Acid Derivatives · All PYQ Banks