Which of the following statements is correct?
(i) Hydrides of group 13 act as Lewis acids.
(ii) Hydrides of group 14 are electron deficient hydrides.
(iii) Hydrides of group 14 act as Lewis acids.
(iv) Hydrides of group 15 act as Lewis bases.
The answer is the option (i) and (iv), i.e. Hydrides of group 13 act as Lewis acids and Hydrides of group 15 act as Lewis bases.
All the elements of group 13 are hydrides which act as Lewis acids since they form electron-deficient compounds. The group 14 elements are known as electron-rich hydrides and thus have extra electrons which are present in the form of lone pairs. Groups 15 to 17 have elements which form compounds that have 1 to 3 lone pairs and therefore act as Lewis bases.