The presence of a base is needed in the ammonolysis of alkyl halides. Explain.

Explanation

To explain why the presence of a base is needed in the ammonolysis of alkyl halides, we can break down the process step by step:

### Step 1: Understanding Ammonolysis
Ammonolysis is a reaction where an alkyl halide (R-X, where R is an alkyl group and X is a halogen) reacts with ammonia (NH₃) to form an amine (R-NH₂) and a hydrogen halide (HX). The general reaction can be represented as:
\[ R-X + NH_3 \rightarrow R-NH_2 + HX \]

### Step 2: The Role of Ammonia
In this reaction, ammonia acts as a nucleophile, meaning it donates a pair of electrons to form a bond with the alkyl halide. When ammonia attacks the alkyl halide, it displaces the halide ion (X⁻), resulting in the formation of a primary amine (R-NH₂) and a hydrogen halide (HX).
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