Lewis acids and bases vs Bronsted Acids and Bases

[kristinalaudis3e]

What exactly is the difference between these two? or can I assume that a Lewis acid is a bronsted base and a Lewis base is a bronsted acid.

[705383815]

The difference is in the terminologies. Reactions with Bronsted acids/bases are defined in terms of proton transmission, while reactions with Lewis acids/bases are defined in terms of their exchange of electron pairs.

[Kelly Tran 1J]

A lewis acid is an electron lone-pair acceptor, and a lewis base is an electron lone-pair donor. A bronsted acid is a proton donor, and a bronsted base is a proton acceptor. The difference between lewis acids/bases and bronsted acids/bases is what you are referring to. If you are describing the transfer of lone-pairs, you would use the lewis definition. If you are describing the transfer of protons, you would use the bronsted definition. Lewis acids and bronsted acids go together, while lewis bases and bronsted bases go together.

[Andreas Krumbein 1L]

As other people have said, the lewis definition of acids and bases refers to the transfer of an electron pair from the base to the acid, and the Bronsted definition refers to acids which can give up a proton, and bases that can accept a proton. However, it is worth mentioning that the Lewis definition is merely a broader explanation of what can constitute an acid, since Bronsted acids and bases are merely a subcategory of Lewis Acids and bases. When the Bronsted acid gives up a proton, it also accepts an electron pair, and so it fits into both the Lewis definition and the Bronsted definition. By the same logic, all Bronsted bases are also Lewis bases.

[Yuehan_Wu_3K]

Just to rmember that Lewis acids or bases deal with the acceptance or donation of electrons while bronsted acids and bases deal with the definition of acids and bases.