Hydroxide quaternary nitrogen-based cationic

Quaternary ammonium halides—because they do not have an unshared electron pair on the nitrogen atom—cannot act as bases. Quaternary ammonium hydroxides, however, are strong bases. As solids, or in solution, they consist entirely of quaternary ammonium cations (R4N ) and hydroxide ions (HO ) they are, therefore, strong bases—as strong as sodium or potassium hydroxide. Quaternary ammonium hydroxides react with acids to form quaternary ammonium salts ... [Pg.904]

In the other aqueous solution, the nitrogen has no free pair of electrons and the quaternary ammonium cation could not possibly act as a base. The hydroxide anion of this salt, however, can easily accept a proton and is a potent base. Thus, the basicities of the solutions is determined by the relative basicities of the hydroxide anion and trimethyl amine. Hydroxide anion is a much stronger base which can be verified by comparing the relative aci ties of their conjugate acids. H2O, the conjugate acid of 0DH is a much weaker acid than the quaternary ammonium cation, trimethyl amine s conjugate acid. In fact, we may write the following reaction ... [Pg.833]