Abstract
The impossibility of establishing a universal scale of Lewis basicity does not prevent the determination of the quantitative behavior of Lewis bases, thanks to scales constructed against particular Lewis acids: BF3, 4-FC6H4OH, I2, Li+, Na+, K+, Al+, Mn+, CpNi+, and CH3NH3+. These scales encompass important types of bonds formed in a Lewis acid–base adduct: the dative bond, the conventional and ionic hydrogen bonds, the halogen bond and cation–molecule bonds for metal cations of groups 1, 7, 10, 11, and 13. Moreover, although these scales are generally not interrelated, there exist family-dependent relationships that permit ranking, in a rather general order, of bases belonging to a given chemical family, for example, the family of oxygen bases. Therefore, the skepticism about the quantitative usefulness of the Lewis concept of acids and bases is no longer founded.
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