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Basicity and stability


Bibinou

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the strength of an acid or base, if you use the Lewis definition, is the molecule's ability to donate or attract electrons. Stronger bases are better electron donors, or in other words, the stronger bases have less ability to hang on to their electrons. Compare the electronegativity of nitrogen and phosphorus.

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According to that explanation phosphines (P being less electronegative than N) would be more basic (less in control of their electrons) than the corresponding amines. Trivalent phosphorus isn't at all a hard base because its lone pair is in a far larger probability cloud than that of nitrogen. As a result, the orbitals don't align well and phosphines aren't good at deprotonating anything.

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  • 3 weeks later...

I can imagine that they can exist for a long time if they are VERY VERY dilute. The same is true for hydroxyl. Astronomers have found clouds with a large percentage of hydroxyl, but these clouds still have a lower density than the best vacuum we can make on earth.

 

This kind of molecules are VERY reactive, but as long as they do not meet anything, they can exist.

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