When the structure undergoes an elimination reaction with NaOH, the major product formed is an alkene. This reaction follows the E2 mechanism, where a base abstracts a proton from a beta carbon while a leaving group departs from the alpha carbon simultaneously, resulting in the formation of a double bond.
For instance, if the initial structure has a halogen (like bromine or chlorine) as the leaving group and adjacent beta hydrogens, NaOH will deprotonate one of those beta hydrogens. The loss of the leaving group occurs at the same time, yielding an alkene. The specific orientation of substituents can influence the major product due to the Zaitsev’s rule, which states that the more substituted alkene is usually the major product. Therefore, it’s crucial to analyze the structure for sterics and substitution to correctly determine the predominant alkene formed in this elimination reaction.