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Acids

Acids have two main definitions. The Bronsted-Lowly definition is the one used an A-level.

Bronsted-Lowly acid: A proton donor.

Lewis acid: A substance which accept a pair of electrons.

H+ is a Lewis acid, it has an empty 1s orbital to take in a lone pair:


Boron trichloride is also a Lewis acid. The boron atom in this is sp2 hybridized, leaving an unoccupied p orbital. This p orbital can accept an electron pair.


A Lewis base is a lone-pair donor. When a Lewis base donates a lone pair to a Lewis atom it creates a complex called an adduct. An example of an adduct you would have seen is using AlCl3 as a friedel-crafts catalyst in the electrophillic substitution of benzene:


Lewis acids in water are similar to Bronsted acids, because the adduct they form with water allows easy disassociation of H+:

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