Determine the name of the alkene product formed in the following dehydration reaction.

• A. $1-methylcyclohexene$
• B. $4-methylcyclohexene$
• C. $2-methylcyclohexene$
• D. $3-methylcyclohexene$

Answer: (A)

Verified step by step guidance

1. Identify the starting compound: It is a cyclohexanol with a methyl group attached to the same carbon as the hydroxyl (OH) group, making it a 1-methylcyclohexanol.
2. Understand the reaction type: The reaction involves dehydration of an alcohol using sulfuric acid (H\_2SO\_4), which typically removes water (H\_2O) to form an alkene.
3. Determine the mechanism: The acid protonates the OH group, turning it into a good leaving group (water), which then leaves to form a carbocation intermediate at the carbon bearing the OH group.
4. Consider carbocation stability and rearrangements: The carbocation formed is tertiary (due to the methyl group), which is relatively stable. The elimination will occur to form the most substituted (and thus most stable) alkene according to Zaitsev's rule.
5. Name the alkene product: The double bond forms between the carbon with the methyl group and an adjacent carbon, resulting in 1-methylcyclohexene as the major product.