Answer. G.N. Lewis (1923) proposed a more general and broader concept of acids and bases. According to this concept:
An acid is a substance, molecule or ion which can accept a pair of electrons.
While a base is a substance, molecule or km which can donate a pair of electrons
For example, a reaction between ammonia and boron tri-fluoride forms a coordinate covalent bond between ammonia and boron tri-fluoride. Ammonia donates electron pair to boron tri-fluoride.
Example:
NH is base while BFs is acid. The cations (proton itself or metal ions) act as Lewis acids. For example, a reaction between H+ and where H+ acts as an acid and ammonia as a base
The product of any Lewis acid-base reaction is a single species, called an addict. So, a neutralization reaction according to Lewis concepts is donation and acceptance of an electron pair and adduct contains a coordinate covalent bond.
Acids are electron pair acceptors while bases are electron pair donors. Thus, it is evident that any substance which has an. unshared pair of electrons can act as a Lewis base while a substance which has an empty orbital that can accommodate a pair of electrons acts as Lewis acid.
Lewis acids. According to Lewis concept, the following species can act as Lewis acids:
(a) Molecules in which the central atom has incomplete octet. For example, in BF3, Aids, FeCl3, the -central atom has only six electrons around it, therefore, these can accept an electron pair.
(b) Simple cations can act as Lewis acids. All cations act as Lewis acids because they are deficient in electrons. However, cations such as Na+, K+, Ca2+ ions, etc., have a very little tendency to accept electrons. While the cations like H+, Ag+ ions, etc., have a greater electron accepting tendency. These are all Lewis acids.
Lewis bases. According to Lewis concept, the following species can act as Lewis bases;
(a) Neutral species having at least one lone pair of electrons. For example, ammonia, amines, alcohols etc., act as Lewis bases because they contain a lone pair of electrons:
NH2. R — NH2R — O — H
(b) Negatively charged species or anions. For example, chloride, cyanide, hydroxide ions, etc., act as Lewis bases: CN-, Cl-, OH- etc.