The group is base stable and can be cleaved in two steps under mild conditions, mildly acidic hydrolysis yields the ester of tris(hydroxymethyl)ethane which is then cleaved using e.g.
A stable functional group can be split into two parts in two stages under gentle conditions. The initial stage involves mild acid hydrolysis to yield an ester derived from tris(hydroxymethyl)ethane, which is then split using a substance such as