N-Methyl-2-pyrrolidone is a cyclic amide (lactam). Warming it with aqueous sodium hydroxide hydrolyses the amide linkage and opens the five-membered ring to give the sodium salt of the corresponding amino acid, and acidification in the second step liberates the free acid. The ring nitrogen keeps its methyl group and becomes a secondary amine, while the carbonyl carbon becomes a carboxylic acid, the two ends being separated by a three-carbon chain. The product is 4-(methylamino)butanoic acid, CH3NH−CH2CH2CH2−COOH.
JEE Main · 2023 · 13 Apr 2023 · Shift 1 · Single correct option