Question
Which of the following are Lewis acids?
BCl3 and AlCl3
PH3 and BCl3
AlCl3 and SiCl4
PH3 and SiCl4
Solution
A.
BCl3 and AlCl3
Both BCl3 and AlCl3 are Lewis acids as both ‘B’ and ‘Al’ has vacant p-orbitals. SiCl4 is also a Lewis acid as silicon atom has vacant 3d-orbital.
