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Science for All | What are Lewis super acids?

March 2, 2023

A Lewis acid is any substance, similar to a Hydrogen ion (H+) that may settle for a pair of nonbonding electrons. Representational picture.

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Researchers on the Paderborn University, Germany have reported having the ability to make a singular class of catalysts – utilized in chemistry to speed up reactions – referred to as “Lewis super-acids” These can be utilized to interrupt robust chemical bonds and velocity up reactions.

Named for the chemist, G N Lewis, Lewis super-acids derive from Lewis acids. A Lewis acid is any substance, similar to a Hydrogen ion (H+) that may settle for a pair of nonbonding electrons. In different phrases, a Lewis acid is an electron-pair acceptor. A Lewis base is any substance, such because the OH- ion, that may donate a pair of nonbonding electrons. A Lewis base is due to this fact an electron-pair donor.

Because Lewis acids add electron pairs, they are typically used to hurry up chemical reactions. Lewis superacids are stronger than antimony pentafluoride — the strongest Lewis acid — and might break even the hardest bonds. Breaking robust, chemical bonds requires extremely reactive substances.

Because they are so reactive, they are onerous to fabricate nevertheless the analysis workforce, in a paper, mentioned they used a “trick” to provide these super acids. Being capable of make these super acids, permits non-biodegradable fluorinated hydrocarbons, much like Teflon, and presumably even climate-damaging greenhouse gases, similar to sulphur hexafluoride, to be transformed again into sustainable chemical substances.