Why is ammonia a Lewis base?

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Answer 1 · 2018-07-18T14:51:25

Well what is a #"Lewis base...?"#

Is it not an electron pair #"DONOR..."#?

And of course ammonia CAN behave in this capacity...i.e. consider its Bronsted basicity..

#NH_3(aq) + H_2O(l) rightleftharpoonsNH_4^+ + HO^-#

The equilibrium lies to the left as we face the page. And ammonia is a potent ligand towards transitions metals...

#CoCl_3(aq) + 6NH_3(aq) rarr [Co(NH_3)_6]^(3+)+3Cl^-#

The #"hexamine cobalt(III)"# species is a classic Werner compound.

And thus ammonia fits the description...still pretty smelly tho, and when you open the bottle the neighbours complain if you are a bit careless...