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Gilbert Lewis and the Model of Dative Bonding

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The Chemical Bond I

Part of the book series: Structure and Bonding ((STRUCTURE,volume 169))

Abstract

The electron-pair bonding model that was introduced by Gilbert Lewis 100 years ago is discussed in the light of modern quantum chemical methods for analysing the electronic structures of some simple molecules. It is argued that Lewis structures in conjunction with accurate quantum chemical calculations are still very useful for the description of chemical bonding. The emphasis lies on the difference between electron-sharing bonds A–B and dative bonds A → B which were suggested by Lewis as a general definition for acids and bases. The electron-pair model, if combined with quantum chemical calculations, remains a powerful guide for the search of new molecules and for understanding molecular structures.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    One referee suggested that the bent geometry of carbon suboxide could be explained with the admixture of small contributions from the resonance form O=C=C−-C≡O+. This is a mere ad hoc description of the electronic structure rather than an explanation, because it does not answer the question why a resonance form where the more electropositive carbon atom carries a negative charge and the more electronegative oxygen atom carries a positive charge becomes so relevant.

  2. 2.

    The calculation of the spin density shows that the unpaired electrons are mainly at the carbene carbon atoms and the nitrogen atoms. For details see [101].

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Acknowledgements

The manuscript was written while one of the authors (GF) was guest professor at the Indian Institute of Technology Bombay. He wants to express his gratitude to Prof. Raghavan B. Sunoj and his colleagues for the warm hospitality. It is a pleasure to acknowledge very helpful comments by both referees and by Prof. Mike Mingos which improved our work. This work was supported by the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft.

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  1. Fachbereich Chemie, Philipps-Universität Marburg, Hans-Meerwein-Strasse, 35043, Marburg, Germany

    Gernot Frenking & Markus Hermann

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  1. Gernot Frenking
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Correspondence to Gernot Frenking .

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  1. Inorganic Chemistry Laboratory, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom

    D. Michael P. Mingos

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Frenking, G., Hermann, M. (2016). Gilbert Lewis and the Model of Dative Bonding. In: Mingos, D. (eds) The Chemical Bond I. Structure and Bonding, vol 169. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/430_2015_202

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