How do alkyl groups affect acidity?

1 Answer
Feb 2, 2016

Alkyl groups tend to make the compound more basic (so less acid), because alkyl group have an inductive donor effect, which make the acid hydrogen more stable, so the hydrogen atom are less able to left the molecule

You can see it in the table of pKa

#pK_a((Me)_3CH) = 53# which is extremely basic