What will be the configuration of the product formed during the given reaction?
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 1
The correct answer is option 1. Retention.
The reaction in the image shows a chiral alcohol reacting with $SOCl_{2}$ in the presence of ether.
1. Mechanism: $S_{N}i$ (Internal Nucleophilic Substitution)
When $SOCl_{2}$ reacts with an alcohol in a non-polar or weakly polar solvent like ether, it proceeds via the $S_{N}i$ mechanism.
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Step 1: The alcohol reacts with $SOCl_{2}$ to form an intermediate called an alkyl chlorosulfite.
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Step 2: This intermediate decomposes. The chlorine atom from the chlorosulfite group attacks the carbon from the same side that the leaving group was attached to.
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Result: Because the attack happens from the front (the same side), the stereochemistry is preserved.
2. Configuration of the Product
Since the nucleophile ($Cl$) replaces the hydroxyl group ($-OH$) at the exact same position without any backside attack, the configuration of the product is Retention.
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Statement: The correct answer is Option 1: Retention.