Q.(i) Which of the following is a Lewis acid ?
(A) HO- (B) F-
(C) NH3 (D) BCl3
(A) CH3COONa (B) NH4Cl
(C) CH3COONH4 (D) (NH4)2SO4 (1)
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Start your 14-day free trial to unlock the full solution →A Lewis acid accepts an electron pair (BCl3, since B is electron-deficient); a buffer resists pH change on adding small amounts of acid/base; CH3COONa is a salt of weak acid + strong base because acetic acid is weak and NaOH is strong.
(i) Lewis acid among the options.
A Lewis acid is a species that can accept a lone pair of electrons.
- (A) OH⁻ — has lone pairs to donate, is a Lewis base.
- (B) F⁻ — has lone pairs to donate, is a Lewis base.
- (C) NH3 — nitrogen has a lone pair it donates, is a Lewis base.
- (D) BCl3 — boron has only 6 electrons around it (electron-deficient, incomplete octet) and readily accepts a lone pair, so it is a Lewis acid. Answer: (D) BCl3
(ii) Buffer solutions.
A buffer solution is one whose pH does not change significantly (resists change in pH) when small amounts of acid or base are added to it, or upon dilution. Buffers are typically made of a weak acid and its conjugate base (salt), or a weak base and its conjugate acid.
Example: A mixture of CH3COOH (acetic acid, weak acid) and CH3COONa (sodium acetate, its salt) forms an acidic buffer of pH around 4.74. Another example: NH4OH + NH4Cl forms a basic buffer.
(iii) Salt of a weak acid and strong base. …
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