Lewis Acids and Bases

[clairedisc3b]

Hi, in the chapter summery for chemical bonds, prof lavelle wrote "Explain the characteristics of Lewis acids and bases and how they form coordinate
covalent bonds." Does anyone know the answer to this?

[Maddie Hong 1I]

A Lewis acid is an electron acceptor and a Lewis base is an electron donor. So the Lewis acid gives an electron to a Lewis base, which is why when the two bond together, they form coordinate covalent bonds.
I think Professor Lavelle said we would come back to this later in the class though.

[RuchaDeshpande1L]

Coordinate covalent bonds are when one atom provides two of its electrons to share between the atoms involved in the covalent bond. The example given in lecture was the tetrafluoroborate anion, BF4-, in which boron was able to complete its octet because the fluorine ion donated two of its own electrons, thus forming a coordinate covalent bond. We can also look at the formation of coordinate covalent bonds through the Lewis definition of acids and bases. This definition states that species that donate electron pairs are Lewis bases, while species that accept electron pairs are Lewis acids. In the case of tetrafluoroborate, fluorine is the Lewis base (donates electrons to the coordinate covalent bond) while BF3 is the Lewis acid (accepts coordinate covalent bond electrons).