Consider the following reactions and fill in the blanks below with a preceding bolded term.
Reaction 1: HClO4 (aq) + H2O (l) → H3O+ (aq) + ClO4- (aq)
Reaction 2: HCOOH (aq) + H2O (l) → H3O+ (aq) + HCOO- (aq)
Reaction 1 represents a **strong** acid in water, while Reaction 2 represents a(n) **weak** acid in water. Although both strong and weak acids create H3O+ in water, strong acids ionize **completely**, while weak acids ionize **partially**.
In Reaction 1, ClO4- is known as a **conjugate base**. This species **will not** accept an H+ to re-form the strong acid.
In Reaction 2, HCOO- is known as a **conjugate base**. This species **will** accept an H+ to re-form the weak acid, which keeps the reaction from proceeding to completion. Instead, an equilibrium balance is established.