Chemistry 12th Edition

Published by McGraw-Hill Education
ISBN 10: 0078021510
ISBN 13: 978-0-07802-151-0

Chapter 15 - Acids and Bases - Questions & Problems - Page 714: 15.112

Answer

$NH_{3}$ is the stronger base

Work Step by Step

A good strategy to solve this problem is by comparing the acidity strengths of the conjugate acids of both bases. The fluorine atom in $NF_{3}H^+$ has a greater electronegativity than the hydrogen atom in $NH_{4}^+$, so $NF_{3}H^+$ loses its proton more readily than $NH_{4}^+$ due to the stronger inductive effect in $NF_{3}H^+$. Therefore, $NF_{3}H^+$ is a stronger acid than $NH_{4}^+$ and on the other hand $NF_{3}$ is a weaker base than $NH_{3}$.
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