Final answer:
Acids are substances that donate protons (Brønsted-Lowry) or accept electron pairs (Lewis), while bases are those that accept protons or donate electron pairs. For example, in the reaction of H₂O and SO₃ to form H₂SO₄, H₂O is the Brønsted-Lowry base and SO₃ is the Brønsted-Lowry acid. A Lewis acid-base reaction example includes BF₃ acting as a Lewis acid and (CH₃)₂O as a Lewis base.
Step-by-step explanation:
To identify the acid and base reactants in a given reaction, one must look at the substances that donate and accept protons according to the Brønsted-Lowry theory, or the substances that donate and accept electron pairs according to the Lewis theory. Drawing on the given examples, a clear pattern can be observed.
- For instance, in the reaction between water (H₂O) and sulfur trioxide (SO₃), resulting in sulfuric acid (H₂SO₄), water acts as a Brønsted-Lowry base because it accepts a proton, and SO₃ acts as a Brønsted-Lowry acid because it donates the proton.
- Similarly, in Lewis acid-base reactions, the Lewis acid is the electron-deficient species, like BF₃ in the given reaction with dimethyl ether ((CH₃)₂O), and the Lewis base is the electron-pair donor, which in this case is dimethyl ether.
When identifying acids and bases, it is also helpful to consider neutralization reactions, where acids and bases react to form water and a salt.