Could somebody tell me how i would go about solving this chemistry problem and what answer I should get?

Question

(a) How many electron pairs surround an atom of boron (B, element 5) bonded in the

compound BCl3?

(b) How many electron pairs surround an atom of nitrogen (N, element 7) in the

compound NF3?

(c) Write an equation for the reaction between the two compounds above. Assume that

they react in a 1:1 ratio to form one molecule as product.

(d) Assuming that the B and the N are covalently bonded to each other in the product,

which of the reactants is the Lewis acid? Is this reactant also a Brønsted-Lowry acid?

Explain your answers.

(e) Which of the reactants is the Lewis base? Explain your answer.

Answer 1

You need to know how to draw Lewis structures.

a) three electron pairs

b) four electron pairs (1 lone pair)

c) Cl₃B-NF₃

d) BCl₃ is the Lewis acid (an electron pair acceptor). It is not considered a BL acid as it does not donate H⁺

e) NF₃ is the Lewis base as it has a lone pair of electrons on the N which it can donate.