What is the conjugate acid of #HCO_3^-#?

1 Answer
Feb 17, 2015

A conjugate acid is a substance that is formed when a base receives a proton, or #H^(+)#.

So, in order to determine the conjugate acid for a given base, all you have to know is that

#"base" + H^(+) -> "conjugate acid of that base"#

In your case, the base is hydrogen carbonate, or #HCO_3^(-)#. If you write the equation you'll get

#HCO_3^(-) + H^(+) -> H_2CO_3#

Carbonic acid, or #H_2CO_3#, will be the conjugate acid of hydrogen carbonate.