Since the boron atom is not surrounded by an octet of electrons, boron halides like BF3 or BCl3 are electron-deficient compounds. They thus have a propensity to operate as potent Lewis acids by taking electrons from several Lewis bases to produce persistent acid-base adducts, serving as catalysts for numerous significant chemical processes.
The bond angle of boron halides, which have a planar structure and a sp2 hybridization, is 120°. The experimentally discovered BX bond lengths, however, are shorter than the values predicted from the halogens' and boron's covalent single bond radii.
In addition to the Lewis acid-base reaction and the most common compounds featuring covalent bonds between a non-metal and a halogen, boron halides are subject to a variety of other reactions. Through hydrolysis processes, these substances react vehemently with water to produce boric acid and hydrogen halide. The broad response below can serve as a representation of this.
The number of oxygen atoms present in chemical formula of fuming sulphuric acid is _______.