Editing Conjugate (acid-base theory) (section)

==Strength of conjugates==
The strength of a conjugate acid is proportional to its [[dissociation constant|splitting constant]]. A stronger conjugate acid will split more easily into its products, "push" hydrogen protons away and have a higher [[equilibrium constant]]. The strength of a conjugate base can be seen as its tendency to "pull" hydrogen protons towards itself. If a conjugate base is classified as strong, it will "hold on" to the hydrogen proton when dissolved and its acid will not split.{{cn|date=May 2025}}

If a chemical is a strong acid, its conjugate base will be weak.<ref name="Conjugate Strength">{{Cite web| url=https://www.ausetute.com.au/cabstrength.html|title=Strength of Conjugate Acids and Bases Chemistry Tutorial| website=www.ausetute.com.au| access-date=2020-02-25}}</ref> An example of this case would be the splitting of [[hydrochloric acid]] {{Chem|H|Cl}} in water. Since {{Chem|H|Cl}} is a strong acid (it splits up to a large extent), its conjugate base ({{Chem|Cl|-}}) will be weak. Therefore, in this system, most {{Chem|H|+}} will be [[hydronium]] ions {{Chem|H|3|O|+}} instead of attached to Cl<sup>−</sup> anions and the conjugate bases will be weaker than water molecules.{{cn|date=May 2025}}

On the other hand, if a chemical is a weak acid its conjugate base will not necessarily be strong. Consider that ethanoate, the conjugate base of ethanoic acid, has a [[base dissociation constant|base splitting constant]] (Kb) of about {{val|5.6e-10}}, making it a weak base.
In order for a species to have a strong conjugate base it has to be a very weak acid, like water.{{cn|date=May 2025}}