Bronsted vs. Lewis

[Rebecca Doan 2L]

What is the difference between Bronsted and Lewis acids?

[Gurshaan Nagra 2F]

A bronsted acid is a proton donor, while a Lewis acid is an electron acceptor

[Pooja Nair 1C]

A Lewis acid id more broadly defined, because while the compound may be able to give accept electrons, it may not have a proton to give. For example, when carbon dioxide reacts with water, the CO2 is the Lewis acid, as it accepts an electron pair from the oxygen of H20. However, CO2 is not a Bronsted acid, because it doesn't have any protons to give. The resultant H2CO3 is a Bronsted acid because in solution, it will donate H+ to form [H30+] with water molecules.

[Leanne Wong 1H]

For a bronsted-lowry acid, the acid is a electron donor, whereas in a lewis acid, it is an electron acceptor.

[Yizhou Liu 3L]

The bronsted acid donates the H+; while the lewis acid accepts a lone pair.