Which reactant in each of the following pairs is more nucleophilic? Explain.

a) NH₂^-or NH₃

In chemistry, nucleophiles are negatively charged ions or neutral species with only one electron available for bonding.

1. Nucleophile attacking the same atom then nucleophilicity is same as basicity that more basic species is more nucleophilic in nature.
2. Nucleophilicity increases in going down in a group of the periodic table.
3. A negatively charged nucleophile is more nucleophilic than a neutral nucleophile due to a negative charge.

On the basis of:

Rule 1: Nucleophile attacking the same atom then nucleophilicity is same as basicity that more basic species is more nucleophilic in nature.

Rule3: A negatively charged nucleophile is more nucleophilic than a neutral nucleophile due to a negative charge.

NH₂^-is more nucleophilic than NH₃