**Title: Understanding Lactone Hydrolysis****Introduction:**The image depicts a chemical reaction involving the hydrolysis of a lactone to a hydroxy acid. This reaction is a classic example of the conversion of a cyclic ester (lactone) to an open-chain alcohol and carboxylic acid.**Chemical Reaction:**- **Reactant:** The structure on the left is a six-membered cyclic ester, specifically a lactone. This lactone consists of a cyclic chain with an ether linkage (oxygen atom) and a ketone group (double-bonded oxygen). - **Reagents:** The reaction arrow indicates the presence of water (H₂O) and a catalytic amount of sulfuric acid (H₂SO₄) labeled as "H₂SO₄ cat."- **Product:** The resulting structure on the right is an open-chain compound containing a hydroxyl group (OH) and a carbonyl group (C=O) at the opposite end, forming a hydroxy acid.**Mechanism and Explanation:**1. **Acid-Catalyzed Hydrolysis:** The presence of sulfuric acid suggests an acid-catalyzed reaction where the lactone is subjected to hydrolysis in the presence of water.2. **Ring Opening:** The acid facilitates the breaking of the ether linkage in the lactone, leading to the formation of an alcohol and a carboxylic acid group.3. **Final Product:** The open-chain product represents a hydroxy acid, a compound with both hydroxyl (alcohol) and carbonyl (acid) functional groups.This reaction is significant in organic chemistry for transforming cyclic esters into more reactive linear hydroxy acids, which are valuable intermediates in various synthetic processes.

In a hydrolysis reaction, the water is used to break down the chemical bonds which are present in the particular compound. It is done with the help of protic acid that is used as a catalyst.The name of the reactant is tetrahydro-2H-pyran-2-one. It is converted to 5-hydroxypentanal with the help of water molecules. When the water molecule is added to the reactant, it breaks the cyclopentane ring into the alkane ring. It is done with the help of sulfuric acid(H2) which is used as a catalyst. When the breaking of a compound is done with the help of acid as a catalyst, it is known as acid-catalyzed hydrolysis or acid hydrolysis as the bonds are broken.The name of the given reaction is the 'acid-catalyzed hydrolysis' or 'acid hydrolysis' reaction.