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Answer the following in brief · Q5

Q.v. Ammonia serves as a Lewis base whereas AlCl3\mathrm{AlCl_3} is Lewis acid. Explain.

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Step 1. The Lewis theory (section 3.3.3) defines an acid as an electron-pair acceptor and a base as an electron-pair donor -- independent of whether either species has an ionizable proton.

Step 2. In NH3, nitrogen has three N-H bonds plus one remaining lone pair of electrons that is not used in bonding. This lone pair is available to be donated/shared with another species, so NH3 fits the Lewis base definition exactly.

Step 3. In AlCl3, aluminium forms three bonds to chlorine, using only 6 of the 8 electrons a full octet would need -- Al is left with a vacant (empty) orbital. This vacant orbital can accept a share of an incoming electron pair, so AlCl3 fits the Lewis acid definition exactly. …

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