What is the product when a haloalkane reacts with ammonia?

When a haloalkane reacts with ammonia, the primary product formed is an amine. This reaction typically occurs through a nucleophilic substitution mechanism. In this process, ammonia acts as a nucleophile, attacking the carbon atom bonded to the halogen (the leaving group) in the haloalkane.

As the ammonia molecule donates a pair of electrons to form a bond with the carbon, the halogen atom departs, resulting in the formation of a new product where a nitrogen atom is now bonded to the carbon skeleton. The resulting structure will be an amine, specifically a primary amine if the haloalkane is a primary haloalkane.

This transformation highlights the ability of ammonia to replace halogens and form stronger nitrogen-carbon bonds, which is a fundamental reaction in organic chemistry. Understanding this reaction is crucial as it illustrates how functional groups can be modified to create different classes of organic compounds.

Other options, such as producing an alkane, alcohol, or carboxylate acid, are not products of the reaction between a haloalkane and ammonia either as they do not reflect the mechanism of substitution or the nature of functional groups involved in this particular reaction.