A critical view on the Lewis-donor (nucleophilic) properties of solvents

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Abstract

Parameters which claim to reflect the Lewis-type donor properties of solvents are reviewed. It will be shown that the original concept of Lewis, where one partner supplies one electron-pair for a chemical bond and the other partner accepts this electron-pair, is limited to "hard-hard" interactions. "Soft-soft" interactions, where both solute and solvent donate and accept electron pairs cannot be accounted for by parameters derived from model substances, which are based on the classical Lewis concept. Disregard of the different chemical behaviour of "hard-hard" and "soft-soft" interactions has led to misinterpretation of solvent parameters and to deviations in correlations of kinetic and thermodynamic properties with solvent parameters.
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)487-500
Number of pages14
JournalJournal of Molecular Liquids
Volume73-74
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Nov 1997

Fields of science

  • 104005 Electrochemistry
  • 104006 Solid state chemistry
  • 104014 Surface chemistry
  • 104017 Physical chemistry
  • 105113 Crystallography
  • 105116 Mineralogy
  • 503013 Subject didactics of natural sciences
  • 204 Chemical Process Engineering
  • 204001 Inorganic chemical technology
  • 205016 Materials testing
  • 210006 Nanotechnology
  • 211104 Metallurgy

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