a) Electron deficiency refers to a situation where an atom or molecule has fewer electrons than the number required to fill its valence shell completely. This results in an imbalance between the positively charged protons in the nucleus and the negatively charged electrons surrounding it, giving rise to unique chemical properties.
b) One reaction that illustrates this behavior is the reaction between boron trifluoride (BF3) and ammonia (NH3) to form a Lewis acid-base adduct:
BF3 + NH3 → F3B-NH3
In this reaction, BF3, a compound of group 3 element boron, acts as a Lewis acid, which is an electron pair acceptor due to its electron deficiency, while NH3 functions as a Lewis base, which is an electron pair donor. The two compounds react to generate a compound that has both coordination or dative covalent bonds due to the electron pair donation by NH3 and electron deficiency of BF3.
Many compounds of group 3 elements have chemical behavior that reflect an electron deficiency.
a) What is the meaning of electron deficiency?
b) Give one reaction that illustrates this behavior.
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