Which species is the conjugate base of hydrochloric acid?

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Multiple Choice

Which species is the conjugate base of hydrochloric acid?

Conjugate bases are what you get after an acid donates a proton. In water, hydrochloric acid gives up a proton to a water molecule, forming chloride ions and hydronium ions: HCl + H2O → Cl− + H3O+. The species left after HCl loses its proton is Cl−, so chloride is the conjugate base of hydrochloric acid. Water is simply the base that accepts the proton, becoming H3O+, which is the conjugate acid of water, not the conjugate base of the acid.

Conjugate bases are what you get after an acid donates a proton. In water, hydrochloric acid gives up a proton to a water molecule, forming chloride ions and hydronium ions: HCl + H2O → Cl− + H3O+. The species left after HCl loses its proton is Cl−, so chloride is the conjugate base of hydrochloric acid. Water is simply the base that accepts the proton, becoming H3O+, which is the conjugate acid of water, not the conjugate base of the acid.

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