HCl -> H+ + Cl-
In this scenario would the HCl be a strong acid and the Cl- the base? And do you only use the word conjugate bases when dealing with weak acids? Thanks.
Cl^- is a base, yes.
HCl is a strong acid because it ionizes 100%. We often omit the water from strong and weak acid ionizations; technically we should include water in those reactions.
If you write the equation as
HCl + H2O ==> H3O^+ + Cl^-
Then HCl is an acid and Cl^- is the conjugate base; H2O is the base and H3O^+ is the conjugate acid. It makes it a little harder to identify acids and bases if the H2O is omitted from the equation. There is no reason to suggest that this theory is useful only for weak acids.
Thanks DrBob!
In the dissociation of HCl into H+ and Cl- ions, HCl is considered a strong acid, and Cl- is the conjugate base.
In general, when an acid loses a proton (H+ ion), the remaining species is called its conjugate base. So, in the reaction shown, HCl loses a proton to form H+ (proton) and Cl- (chloride ion). Therefore, Cl- is the conjugate base of HCl.
Regarding the use of the term "conjugate bases," it is commonly used when discussing weak acids, but it can also be used for strong acids. The concept of a conjugate base applies to both strong and weak acids. In the case of strong acids like HCl, all of the acid molecules ionize completely, producing a high concentration of H+ ions. This means that the reverse reaction (formation of HCl from H+ and Cl-) is negligible, so H+ does not act as an acid in this context. However, Cl- can still be considered the conjugate base of HCl.