Reaction of propanal with HCN followed by acid hydrolysis of the reaction product with produce

Options

A. propanoic acid
B. 1-butylamine
C. `alpha`-hydroxybutanoic acid
D. all of the above

Explanation

To solve the question regarding the reaction of propanal with HCN followed by acid hydrolysis, we can break down the process into clear steps:

### Step-by-Step Solution:

1. **Identify the Reactants**:
- The reactant is propanal (CH3CH2CHO), which is an aldehyde.
- The other reactant is hydrogen cyanide (HCN).

2. **Nucleophilic Addition Reaction**:
- In the presence of HCN, the cyanide ion (CN⁻) acts as a nucleophile and attacks the carbonyl carbon of propanal.
- The reaction can be represented as:
\[ \text{CH}_3\text{CH}_2\text{CHO} + \text{HCN} \rightarrow \text{CH}_3\text{CH}_2\text{C(OH)(CN)}\text{H} \]
- This results in the formation of a cyanohydrin, specifically 2-cyanopropanol.

3. **Acid Hydrolysis**:
- The next step involves the hydrolysis of the cyanohydrin in an acidic medium (H⁺ and H₂O).
- The hydrolysis of the cyanohydrin leads to the formation of a carboxylic acid and the release of ammonia:
\[ \text{CH}_3\text{CH}_2\text{C(OH)(CN)}\text{H} + H_2O \xrightarrow{H^+} \text{CH}_3\text{CH}_2\text{C(OH)(COOH)}\text{H} \]
- This results in the formation of 2-hydroxybutanoic acid.

4. **Naming the Product**:
- The product formed is 2-hydroxybutanoic acid, which can also be referred to as alpha-hydroxybutanoic acid because the hydroxyl group (-OH) is located at the second carbon (alpha position) of the butanoic acid chain.

### Final Product:
The final product of the reaction of propanal with HCN followed by acid hydrolysis is **alpha-hydroxybutanoic acid**.