As we will learn in Chapter 21, treating a lactone (a cyclic ester) with sodium hydroxide will initially produce an anion:

This anion rapidly undergoes an intramolecular proton transfer, in which the negatively charged oxygen atom abstracts the nearby acidic proton. Draw the product of this intramolecular acid-base process, and then identify which side of the equilibrium is favored. Explain your answer.

Q=H NaOH Initially formed