Effects on Amine Basicity Consider the energy level diagram for the reaction of a general amine with water H≥N amine ammonium ion R一NH3+-OH R-NH2 H2O Any feature that stabilizes the ammonium ion relative to the free amine helps shift the equilibrium to the right,and therefore makes the amine a stronger base (and vice versa). There are 3 factors that influence base strength: Ch19 Amines(landscape) Page 12 Ch19 Amines(landscape) Page 12 Effects on Amine Basicity Consider the energy level diagram for the reaction of a general amine with water. Any feature that stabilizes the ammonium ion relative to the free amine helps shift the equilibrium to the right, and therefore makes the amine a stronger base (and vice versa). There are 3 factors that influence base strength: