COMEDK 2025 Afternoon Solved Paper

Concept:Resonance stabilization of aniline and its conjugate acid determines their relative basicity.Explanation:In aniline ($\mathrm{C_6H_5NH_2}$), the lone pair on nitrogen delocalizes into the aromatic ring via resonance, providing significant stabilization.In the anilinium ion ($\mathrm{C_6H_5NH_3^+}$), the lone pair is used to bond with $\mathrm{H^+}$, so it cannot delocalize — resonance stabilization is much weaker.Thus, anilinium ion is less resonance stabilized than aniline.Evaluating other options:Option A: Aliphatic amines are stronger bases than $\mathrm{NH_3}$; aromatic amines (like aniline) are weaker. The statement is reversed.Option B: Gabriel phthalimide synthesis works only with alkyl halides, not aryl halides; hence it cannot prepare aniline.Option D: Sec-butylamine ($\mathrm{CH_3CH(NH_2)CH_2CH_3}$) has a chiral carbon (C-2) and can be optically active; the nitrogen atom's achirality does not negate that.Answer:Option C is the correct statement.