Statement I: $$pK_b$$ of imidazole is lower than that of aniline.
Statement II: The order of basicity for ethyl substituted amine in aqueous solution is $$\mathrm{(C_2H_5)_2NH > C_2H_5NH_2 > (C_2H_5)_3N > NH_3}$$.

Choose the correct option.

Statement I is correct because imidazole is a significantly stronger base than aniline. Therefore, its $$pK_b$$ value is lower (around 7.0 for imidazole compared to 9.4 for aniline).

Imidazole's pyridine-like nitrogen has a lone pair residing in an $$sp^2$$ orbital that is not part of the aromatic ring's cloud, making it highly available for protonation.

In contrast, aniline's lone pair is heavily delocalized into the benzene ring, which dramatically reduces its basicity.

Statement II is incorrect because the basicity order specified in the statement represents methyl-substituted amines in an aqueous medium rather than ethyl-substituted ones.

For ethyl-substituted amines, the correct decreasing order of basic strength in an aqueous solution is:

$$\mathrm{(C_2H_5)_2NH>(C_2H_5)_3N>C_2H_5NH_2>NH_3}$$

This sequence occurs due to a unique balance of the electron-donating inductive effect, steric hindrance, and hydration stability.

Correct option: (B)