Answer to Question #110630 in Organic Chemistry for Ayessa Nicole

Question

Which among acetic acid, monochloroacetic acid, acetamide, acetone, glycine, lysine, isopropyl alcohol, phenol, vinegar, lemon juice, and feminine wash is a lewis base? And which is a lewis acid? What makes it acidic or basic?

Answer 1

Lewis base is acetamide CH3CONH2 because of lone pair of electrons of nitrogen atom.

Also Lewis base is lysine HO₂CCH(NH₂)(CH₂)₄NH₂ because of two nitrogen atoms having lone electron pairs, but one of them is compansated by the presence of Broensted acidic carboxyl group.

There are no Lewis acids in the list, because the acid must have an atom with an empty orbital (like boron).