Question
Discuss in brief Lewis concept of acids and bases.
Or
Discuss the electronic concept of acids and bases.
Solution
According to Lewis concept, an acid is any substance (atom, molecule or ion) which is capable of accepting a pair of electrons from another substance to form a co-ordinate (dative) bond.
A base is any substance (atom, molecule or ion) which is capable of donating a pair of electrons to form a co-ordinate (dative) bond. Hence,
In terms of electronic structure.
(i) an acid must have a vacant orbital into which an electron pair donated by a base can be accommodated e.g. AlCl3, BF3
(ii) a base is a substance which has at least one lone pair of electrons e.g
