Identify the Lewis base in this balanced equation: B is bonded to F above, below left, and below right. The F’s have pairs of electron dots on the 3 sides that do not have bonds. Plus. A central N has two electron dots to the left and is bonded to H above, below, and to the right. right arrow. B is bonded above, below, and to the left to F’s each with pairs of electron dots on the 3 sides without bonds; and to the right to N, which is bonded above, below, and to the right to H.
The Correct Answer and Explanation is:
In this scenario, we are tasked with identifying the Lewis base in the given chemical reaction. To approach this, let’s first break down the provided details and clarify the nature of a Lewis base.
A Lewis base is a species that donates a pair of electrons to form a covalent bond with a Lewis acid (an electron pair acceptor).
Breakdown of the Molecules
- First Molecule (Before the Arrow):
- B is bonded to F: This suggests that boron (B) is bonded to fluorine (F) atoms. Fluorine, being a halogen, has lone pairs of electrons (three lone pairs in the absence of bonding).
- N with electron dots to the left: Nitrogen (N) has two lone pairs of electrons to the left, which may be significant in the reaction.
- Hydrogen atoms (H) bonded to N: Nitrogen is bonded to three hydrogen atoms, creating a structure like ammonia (NH3).
- Second Molecule (After the Arrow):
- B bonded to F atoms: This structure is similar to the first molecule, with B bonded to F atoms and each F atom having lone pairs of electrons.
- N bonded to H: Nitrogen is bonded to H atoms, suggesting a similar bonding arrangement as before.
Identifying the Lewis Base
In this context, the Lewis base will be the species donating electrons. Nitrogen (N) in the first molecule has two lone pairs of electrons and is likely to donate these electrons to form a bond with another molecule. Given that nitrogen is bonded to three hydrogens (NH3), it has a lone pair that can be donated, making it a Lewis base.
Thus, NH3 (ammonia) is the Lewis base, as it is donating an electron pair to another species (likely a Lewis acid like boron, B, or another acceptor in the reaction).
Conclusion
The Lewis base in this reaction is the ammonia molecule (NH3), where nitrogen donates its lone pair of electrons.
