Water is amphoteric (can act as an acid or a base).
a. Complete the chemical equation that shows water acting as a base.
H2O + HCl ⇋ Cl- + H3O+
b. In this reaction, what is the conjugate acid of water?
H3O+
good
To understand water acting as a base, let's first start by explaining what an amphoteric substance is. An amphoteric substance is one that can behave as both an acid and a base, depending on the circumstances. Water is a classic example of an amphoteric substance because it can act as both an acid and a base.
a. Now, to complete the chemical equation that shows water acting as a base, we need an acid to react with water. In this case, let's consider the reaction between water (H2O) and hydrochloric acid (HCl):
H2O + HCl ⇋ Cl- + H3O+
Here, water is accepting a proton (H+) from hydrochloric acid, which makes it act as a base. The reaction results in the formation of a chloride ion (Cl-) and a hydronium ion (H3O+).
b. In this reaction, the conjugate acid of water is the species that is formed when water accepts a proton (H+). In the equation above, the hydronium ion (H3O+) is the conjugate acid of water.