Arrange the following species in the decreasing order of their basic strength: (I) CH ₃ O ^ (II) CH ₃^ (III) NH ₂^ (IV)

Step-by-step solution

The basic strength of an anion is inversely proportional to the acidic strength of its conjugate acid. A stronger acid has a weaker conjugate base. The conjugate acids of the given species are: (I) CH ₃ O ^ CH ₃ OH (II) CH ₃^ CH ₄ (III) NH ₂^ NH ₃ (IV) CH ₃ COO ^ CH ₃ COOH The acidic strength of these conjugate acids depends on the electronegativity of the central atom and resonance stabilization. The electronegativity order is O > N > C . Furthermore, the acetate ion ( CH ₃ COO ^ ) is stabilized by equivalent reso