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In the Brønsted-Lowry (protonic) theory of acids and bases, a conjugate acid is the acid member, HX, of a pair of two compounds that transform into each other by gain or loss of a proton. The base produced, X-, is called the conjugate base.
| Acid | Base |
|---|---|
| HCl Hydrochloric acid | Cl- Chloride ion |
| H2SO4 Sulfuric acid | HSO4- Hydrogensulfate ion |
| HNO3 Nitric acid | NO3- Nitrate ion |
| H3O+ Hydronium ion | H2O Water |
| HSO4- Hydrogensulfate ion | SO42- Sulfate ion |
| H3PO4 Phosphoric acid | H2PO4- Dihydrogenphosphate ion |
| HC2H3O2 Acetic acid | C2H3O2- Acetate ion |
| H2CO3 Carbonic acid | HCO3- Hydrogencarbonate ion |
| H2S Hydrosulfuric acid | HS- |
| H2PO4- Dihydrogenphosphate ion | HPO4+ Hydrogenphosphate ion |
| NH4+ Ammonium ion | NH3 Ammonia |
| HCO3- Hydrogencarbonate ion | CO32- Carbonate ion |
| HPO42- Hydrogenphosphate ion | PO43- Phosphate ion |
| H2O Water | OH- Hydroxide ion |
Strength of Conjugate Acid-Base Pairs. Acid strength decreases and base strength increases down the table.