The hydrolysis of an ester functional group typically occurs through a nucleophilic acyl substitution reaction. The general mechanism for the hydrolysis of an ester RCOOR' in the presence of a nucleophile H2O can be described as follows:1. Nucleophilic attack: A water molecule H2O acts as a nucleophile and attacks the carbonyl carbon C=O of the ester. This results in the formation of a tetrahedral intermediate and the breaking of the bond in the carbonyl group.2. Proton transfer: A proton H+ is transferred from the oxygen atom of the water molecule to one of the oxygen atoms in the tetrahedral intermediate. This can occur through an intramolecular transfer or via the solvent.3. Leaving group departure: The tetrahedral intermediate collapses, reforming the carbonyl group C=O and breaking the bond between the carbonyl carbon and the oxygen atom of the leaving group OR' . This results in the formation of an alcohol ROH and a carboxylic acid RCOOH .The overall reaction can be represented as:RCOOR' + H2O RCOOH + R'OHIn the presence of a base, the mechanism is slightly different, as the base deprotonates the water molecule, generating a hydroxide ion OH- that acts as the nucleophile. The final products are a carboxylate ion RCOO- and an alcohol R'OH . The carboxylate ion can be protonated to form the carboxylic acid RCOOH if the reaction is performed under acidic conditions.