Conjugate Base - Chemistry Definitions Terms

Conjugate Base - Chemistry Definitions Terms Conjugate Base Definition The Bronsted-Lowry acid-base theory includes the concepts of conjugate acids and conjugate bases. When an acid dissociates into its ions in water, it loses a hydrogen ion. The species that is formed is the acids conjugate base. A more general definition is that a conjugate base is the base member, X-, of a pair of compounds that transform into each other by gaining or losing a proton. The conjugate base is able to gain or absorb a proton in a chemical reaction. The conjugate acid donates the proton or hydrogen in the reaction. In an acid-base reaction, the chemical reaction is: Acid Base â‡Å' Conjugate Base Conjugate Acid Key Takeaways: Conjugate Base Conjugate acids and bases are part of the Bronsted-Lowry theory of acids and bases.According to this theory, the species that donates a hydrogen cation or proton in a reaction is a conjugate acid, while the remaining portion or the one that accepts a proton or hydrogen is the conjugate base.The conjugate base may be recognized as an anion. Conjugate Base Examples The  general chemical reaction between a conjugate acid and a conjugate base is: HX H2O ↔ X− H3O In an acid-base reaction, you can recognize the conjugate base because it is an anion. For hydrochloric acid (HCl), this reaction becomes: HCl H2O ↔ Cl− H3O Here, the chloride anion, Cl−, is the conjugate base. Sulfuric acid, H2SO4 forms two conjugate bases as hydrogen ions are successively removed from the acid: HSO4- and SO42-.