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Nevertheless, Lewis suggested that an electron-pair donor be classified as a base and an electron-pair acceptor be classified as acid. A more modern definition of a Lewis acid is an atomic or molecular species with a localized empty atomic or molecular orbital of low energy.
Instead of defining acid–base reactions in terms of protons or other bonded substances, the Lewis definition defines a base (referred to as a Lewis base) to be a compound that can donate an electron pair, and an acid (a Lewis acid) to be a compound that can receive this electron pair. [23] For example, boron trifluoride, BF 3 is a typical ...
HSAB is an acronym for "hard and soft (Lewis) acids and bases".HSAB is widely used in chemistry for explaining the stability of compounds, reaction mechanisms and pathways. It assigns the terms 'hard' or 'soft', and 'acid' or 'base' to chemical species.
In the same year that Brønsted and Lowry published their theory, G. N. Lewis created an alternative theory of acid–base reactions. The Lewis theory is based on electronic structure. A Lewis base is a compound that can give an electron pair to a Lewis acid, a compound that can accept an electron pair.
In chemistry, there are three definitions in common use of the word "base": Arrhenius bases, Brønsted bases, and Lewis bases. All definitions agree that bases are substances that react with acids , as originally proposed by G.-F. Rouelle in the mid-18th century.
In 1923, he formulated the electron-pair theory of acid–base reactions. In this theory of acids and bases, a "Lewis acid" is an electron-pair acceptor and a "Lewis base" is an electron-pair donor. [41] This year he also published a monograph on his theories of the chemical bond. [42]
The plot also shows that ammonia is a stronger Lewis base than acetonitrile irrespective of its Lewis acid partner, whereas the relative strengths of ammonia and dimethyl sulfide as Lewis bases depends on the bonding characteristics of the Lewis acid, swapping order when R a = 0.1. (NB: guesstimate).
Bases are defined by the Brønsted–Lowry theory as chemical substances that can accept a proton, i.e., a hydrogen ion. In water this is equivalent to a hydronium ion). The Lewis theory instead defines a Base as an electron-pair donor. The Lewis definition is broader — all Brønsted–Lowry bases are also Lewis bases.