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Aniline

Easychemistry

Aniline is less basic than methylamine because:

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About This Question

Subject
chemistry
Chapter
organic compounds containing nitrogen
Topic
aniline
Difficulty
Easy
Year
2025
Tags
AnilineBasicityResonance

Solution

Correct Answer:

Lone pair on N is delocalized in benzene ring

Aniline is a weaker base than aliphatic amines (like methylamine) due to the Resonance Effect.

  • In aniline (), the lone pair of electrons on the nitrogen atom is in conjugation with the -electron system of the benzene ring.
  • Through resonance, the electron density is delocalized over the ring, making the lone pair less available for coordination with a proton ().
  • Furthermore, the anilinium ion formed after protonation has fewer resonance structures than aniline itself, making it comparatively unstable.
  • Aliphatic amines have no such resonance and instead benefit from the effect of the alkyl group.

This easy difficulty chemistry question is from the chapter organic compounds containing nitrogen, covering the topic of aniline. It appeared in the 2025 exam.

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