What is the difference between Lewis Acid and Base?

Lewis acid, from its name, is an acidic substance. This can accept electrophiles which means a pair of electrons or just one electron from another element so that it will achieve its most stable form. The Lewis base is different because instead of accepting electrons, they would donate the electrons that are needed by the Lewis acids. Take note that there are some substances that can both be acidic and basic.

There are still a lot of compounds that people are studying because they want to understand more about the topic. This topic may be a bit complicated especially if you do not have any knowledge about it but you can surely learn more about it if you truly want to.

Lewis Acid refers to the acidic substance that accepts electron or pairs of electrons (electrophile) from another element to complete its stable form. All cations are Lewis acids because they can accept electrons. Examples of this include Cu2+ and Fe2+.

Lewis Base refers to substances that donate electrons (Nucleophilic) to Lewis acid. Examples are OH-, NH3, CN-. However, some substances can be both acid and a base. This ability is termed “Amphoterism.” A material that has this ability is called an amphoteric substance. A typical example is a water.