Great, thanks for the help both of you.
I think the problem was I didn't realize that @ pH of 7, NH4 exists instead of NH3. The whole problem came about because I read someone elses suggestion of using NaOH and then organic solvent to remove a polyamine. I assumed that polyamine would have already been NH3 (or equivalent obviously NR3), and that adding NaOH would deprotonate it to NH2-. But I realize now that that would not exist.
I have a followup question in light of all this...I was always told that a strong acid has a weak conjugate base, and vise versa. Why is it then that NH4 is a weak acid, but NH3 is also a weak base? Is it just a very loose rule that a strong acid has a weak conjugate base, and a weak acid has a strong conjugate base?