Question

Explain the term Lewis acid and Lewis base with suitable example ?

Answer 1

Explanation:

Lewis Acid: a species that accepts an electron pair (i.e., an electrophile) and will have vacant orbitals

Lewis Base: a species that donates an electron pair (i.e., a nucleophile) and will have lone-pair electrons

Various species can act as Lewis acids. All cations are Lewis acids since they are able to accept electrons. (e.g., Cu2+, Fe2+, Fe3+)

An atom, ion, or molecule with an incomplete octet of electrons can act as an Lewis acid (e.g., BF3, AlF3).

Molecules where the central atom can have more than 8 valence shell electrons can be electron acceptors, and thus are classified as Lewis acids (e.g., SiBr4, SiF4).

Molecules that have multiple bonds between two atoms of different electronegativities (e.g., CO2, SO2)

Lewis base can be \(OH^-\), \(CN^-\), \(CH_3COO^-\), \(:NH_3\), \(H_2O:\), \(CO: