Question

When hno2 dissociates in water, which atom is dontaing electrons, allowing water to act as a lewis base?

Answer 1

Answer to this is O-atom.

Explanation: The Bronsted acid-base theory is the backbone of chemistry. This theory focuses mainly on acids and bases acting as proton donors or proton acceptors.

`A^+ + B^- \rightarrow A-B`

where
`A^+` is the Lewis Acid and
`B^-` is the Lewis Base and
`A-B` is the Covalent Bond.

Reaction of dissociation of
`HNO2` in
`H_2O` is given as:

`HNO_2 + H_2O \rightarrow H_3O^+ + NO_2^-`

In this reaction O-atom has lone pair in water and therefore it accepts the proton from
`HNO_2` forming a Lewis Base.