Real Species 1

When the schematic Lewis acid/base icons are replaced with real chemical species the nature and usefulness of the Lewis acid/base interaction matrix starts to become apparent. By way of example, the sodium ion (Na+, s-LUMO Lewis acid) complexes with hydroxide ion (HO-, Lobe-HOMO Lewis base), to give sodium hydroxide (NaOH, type 7 Lewis acid/base complex). Most of the chemical reagents—"chemicals in bottles"—that we use in the lab as "bases" [that is proton abstracting, Brønsted bases] are also type 7 complexes: sodamide, sodium carbonate, methyl lithium, etc.

This logic is general in two ways: firstly, each cell of the Lewis acid/base interaction matrix contains distinct and characteristic chemistry. Secondly, the matrix covers all of Lewis acid/base reaction chemistry space.