How do I determine the formula of a conjugate acid.
Ex. question:
Give the formula of the conjugate acid of each of the following.
(a) NH2-
(b) HPO42-
(c) NO3-
Add a H^+ to each of the bases listed.
The conjugate acid of the acetate ion, CH3COO^- is CH3COOH.
To determine the formula of a conjugate acid, you need to follow a few steps.
First, identify the base that is present in the question. In this case, the bases are NH2-, HPO42-, and NO3-.
Next, add a hydrogen ion (H+) to the base to form the conjugate acid. This is done because the conjugate acid will always have one more hydrogen ion than the base.
Let's go through each example:
(a) NH2-
To find the conjugate acid, add a hydrogen ion (H+) to NH2-. The formula of the conjugate acid is NH3.
(b) HPO42-
Add a hydrogen ion (H+) to HPO42-. The formula of the conjugate acid is H2PO4-.
(c) NO3-
Similarly, add a hydrogen ion (H+) to NO3-. The formula of the conjugate acid is HNO3.
Therefore, the formulas for the conjugate acids are:
(a) NH3
(b) H2PO4-
(c) HNO3