How does boron trifluoride react with ammonia according to Lewis theory?

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According to Lewis theory, a Lewis acid is defined as an electron-pair acceptor, while a Lewis base is an electron-pair donor. In this framework, boron trifluoride (BF3) acts as the acid and ammonia acts as the base.

The reaction involves the nitrogen atom of the ammonia molecule donating its unshared pair of electrons to the boron atom of the boron trifluoride molecule. This process results in the formation of an addition compound, or adduct, in which the two species are joined by a coordinate bond. The reaction is represented by the following equation:

H3N:+BF3→H3N−BF3

In the resulting adduct, the boron atom transitions from being three-coordinated to four-coordinated, with the four groups arranged tetrahedrally around it.123