Hmm ok. I just looked up
http://www.meta-synthesis.com/webbook/13_lab-matrix/LAB_matrix.html (btw thanks for the meta-synthesis.com reference, I like the site). It says that Na+ is a Lewis acid. But I think I understand the concept a bit more now...
Na+ is a lewis acid, as Cl- is a lewis base. Just as H+ is a lewis acid and Cl- is a lewis base. But the difference is because the bond is ionic? There is technically a complex where you cannot say any particular Na+ is bonded to any particular Cl-, thus its ability to be an electron acceptor is muted because there is not a particular bond that can be broken in order to make Na+ the electron acceptor it could be?
If that is the case, what would the behavior of a salt be as it is heated towards and into vaporization? Would you lose Na or Cl preferentially, or would it behave as a compound?
edit: but now that I look it up (and think about it). HCl has to be ionic, even though it is conventionally drawn covalently, because it dissociates into ions. I'm ultimately failing to see the distinction between salts and acids and bases. OH is electron donator, Cl is electron donator. Na forms ionic bonds to both, and is an electron acceptor.
Could this have to do with solvents? HCl in water will produce H3O+ (covalent) and Cl-. NaCl in water will not produce NaH2O+ because of bond length/steric bulk of the Na+ cation, and that O is not as electronegative as Cl so that it would not form an ion with Na, as Cl does, making it the more stable option?
edit#2: Ok I think I finally figured it out. It's the difference between how in a lewis acid the acid is H+ while in bronsted theory the acid is the HCl molecule, or anything that is a proton donor. The lewis acid depends upon the strength of the base and such. So then dissociation constants and all that are regarding bronsted acids only - unless the specific base is noted and only compared to the same base?
Ok, so finally, what does this mean of salts then...according to Lewis theory a salt is an acid and base mixed together. How does that make HCl different from NaCl?