Back Bonding in BF3
In BF3, boron has an empty p-orbital, while each of the three fluorine atoms possesses a lone pair of electrons in its p-orbital. Consequently, boron acts as a Lewis acid, while fluorine serves as a Lewis base. The p-electron from fluorine drifts into the empty p-orbital of boron, resulting in a pi-bonding interaction known as back bonding.
This type of bond formation is known as back bonding or back donation. Thus, the B-F bond has some double bond characteristics. Back bonding in BF3 does not alter the molecule’s bond angle, planarity, or geometry. The BF3 molecule exhibits a ‘Trigonal Planar’ geometry.
Back Bonding
Back Bonding occurs between atoms where electrons jump from the atomic orbital to the anti-bonding orbital of the acceptor ligand. Back Bonding is also known as π-Back Bonding or Back Donation. It is a type of covalent bonding where electrons from a filled atomic orbital jump to an empty or partially filled atomic orbital.
In this article, we will learn what back Bonding is, its definition, characteristics, and Back Bonding in BF3 and Metal Carbonyls.
Table of Content
- What is Back Bonding?
- Characteristics of Back bonding
- Pi Back bonding
- Back Bonding in BF3
- Back Bonding in Metal Carbonyls
- Back Bonding vs Coordinate Bonding