Question

Classify each of the following substances as either a Lewis acid or a Lewis base:
a. Cl-
b. CO32-
c. Na+
d. Br-

Answer 1

Lewis acid is the electron pair acceptor. On the contrary, Lewis base is the donor of electron pair. Lewis acid and base react, forming an adduct, where they acid and base share the electron pair. The hard and soft bases and acids are classified according to the size of the molecule (ion) and its polarizability. Thus, small and nonpolarizable acids or bases are hard, while big and polarizable ones are soft.

a. Cl- Hard base
b. CO32- Hard base
c. Na+ Hard acid
d. Br- Borderline base