Let Us Give Lewis Acid-Base Theory the Priority It Deserves.

The Lewis theory of acids and bases is regarded by the scientific community as the most versatile and rigorous concept for explaining not only acid/base behavior, but polar covalent reactions in general. The Lewis concept is simple yet powerful in its scope, and can be used to help beginning students understand reaction mechanisms more fully. Yet, our traditional way of teaching acid–base reactions at the introductory one-semester level (supported by a survey of 22 introductory-level chemistry texts taken from this Journal's Chemical Education Resource Shelf ignores Lewis acid–base theory completely, focusing instead on proton transfer described by the Bronsted-Lowry concept. While proton transfer is a structural result of reaction, it does not address the why or how of reaction. The Lewis concept provides answers to these fundamental questions, serving as the overarching concept of polar reaction chemistry. Teaching it with greater priority can bring to our students a greater understanding of why reactio...