Determining if a molecule can give off a proton

[Shania Garrison Discussion 3E]

I was looking at different molecules and trying to determine if they would be a Bronsted acid or not.

One example that wouldn't was CH4. I believe this is because it is non-polar and therefore doesn't interact with water. As a general rule of thumb, will most acids be polar covalent or ionic?

Any tips on what to look for when determining if a molecule is an acid?

I feel like it would probably be easier to determine bases because they would just need to have a lone pair right?

[MattDixon3A]

Hi, when assessing whether a molecule is an acid or base, both the presence (or lack thereof) of lone pairs and electron-deficiency are the two determining factors. If there are lone pairs present in our molecule, it can be classified as a base. If there are electron-deficient atoms present, we can classify the molecule as a base. This is for aqueous systems however, and using the bronsted system results in a different assessment. Under this system, we ask whether a hydrogen can be donated, and if there is a lone pair that can accept a proton. I hope this helps!