The major product of the following reaction is: 

CONCEPT:

Grignard Reagent Reaction with Nitriles

• Grignard reagents, such as CH₃MgBr, are highly nucleophilic and typically react with electrophilic carbonyl compounds such as aldehydes, ketones, and nitriles.
• When a Grignard reagent like CH₃MgBr reacts with a nitrile group (-C≡N), it adds to the carbon atom of the nitrile, leading to the formation of an imine intermediate.
• Upon subsequent treatment with water (H₂O), the imine intermediate undergoes hydrolysis, resulting in the formation of an amide. In this case, further reduction or reaction with excess Grignard reagent can give a ketone or alcohol, depending on the conditions.

EXPLANATION:​

The Grignard reagent CH₃MgBr reacts with the nitrile group in the compound (benzenecarbonitrile), leading to the formation of an intermediate imine, which is then hydrolyzed to yield an alcohol.

The reaction leads to the following:

• The product formed is 2-phenylethanol (Option 2), where the nitrile group (-C≡N) has been reduced and hydrolyzed to form an alcohol (OH) group attached to the 2nd carbon of the ethyl side chain, with a methyl group attached to the benzene ring.

Therefore, the correct answer is CH₃OH attached to the benzene ring with a CN group at the 2-position.