In this section we consider the relative basicity of several nitrogen-containing functional groups: amines, amides, anilines, imines, and nitriles. When evaluating the basicity of a nitrogen-containing organic functional group, the central question we need to ask ourselves is: how reactive (and thus how basic) is the lone pair on the nitrogen? In other words, how much does that lone pair want to break away from the nitrogen nucleus and form a new bond with a hydrogen?