207k views
0 votes
Which of the following is the strongest small base?

1) Br-
2) OH⁻
3) OCH₃-
4) EtO-

User Rene Korss
by
8.3k points

1 Answer

3 votes

Final answer:

EtO- is the strongest base because the ethyl group helps better stabilize the negative charge through electron-donation, compared to the other options.

Step-by-step explanation:

The strongest base among the options given is EtO- because, as a general trend in base strength, the more delocalized the negative charge is, the stronger the base. Ethoxide ion (EtO-) contains an ethyl group (a carbon chain), which is electron-donating through the inductive effect and better stabilizes the negative charge compared to simple alkoxides like methoxide (OCH₃-). In the context of the other options, OH⁻ is a strong base but not as strong as some organic bases. Br⁻ is the conjugate base of a strong acid, which makes it a very weak base. In the case of the OCH₃-, it is similarly a methoxide ion, which is less stable than the ethoxide ion due to less steric hindrance around the oxygen atom, thus, less able to spread out the negative charge.

User Mohammad Azim
by
8.8k points