What does the conjugate seesaw mean?

[Teresa Dinh 3L]

Where did he mention this in lecture?

[Alex_Lee_1K]

Hello,

The conjugate seesaw basically states the stronger the acid, the weaker the conjugate base is. The same is true for bases where the stronger the base, the weaker the conjugate acid is. The reasoning behind this is because, let say, you have a strong acid, most of it will dissociate into H3O+ and thus will leave very little of the conjugate base. There should have been a whole slide on this on Lecture 01/12 towards the middle.

[Sasha Gladkikh 2A]

The conjugate see-saw is defined as:
• The stronger the acid, the weaker its conjugate base.
• The stronger the base, the weaker its conjugate acid.
Note: Conjugate acid-base pairs differ by only 1 proton (H⁺).

This concept applies to the equation K_a * K_b = K_w, which can only be used for conjugate acid-base pairs.
Therefore, if the strength of the weak acid increases (denoted by a relatively larger K_a value), the K_b value/strength of the weak base will ultimately decrease (and vice versa) — K_a and K_b are inversely related.

Conceptually, if a weak acid is relatively stronger — greater dissociation and H₃O⁺ produced — its conjugate base is more unlikely to react with H₂O and revert back to its conjugate-acid form.

[Ivy Vo Dis 1C]

The conjugate seesaw depicts the relationship between conjugate acids and bases and their original acid or base. When an acid is strong, its conjugate base would be weak. When an acid is weak, its conjugate base would be strong. Similarly, when a base is strong, its conjugate acid would be weak. When a base is weak, its conjugate acid would be strong. Like a seesaw, only one (either the conjugate or the original) can be strong at once.

[Michelle Li 2B]

The conjugate seesaw refers to how if an acid or base is strong, then its conjugate base or conjugate acid must be weak. Additionally, if an acid or base is weak, then its conjugate base or conjugate acid must be strong. The example Professor Lavelle used in lecture was HCl: since HCl is a strong acid, it will completely dissociate into H3O+ and Cl- ions. Cl- is a weak conjugate base because it is stable as Cl- (aq) and therefore does not want to pick up a proton to form HCl, since the dissociation of HCl is so strongly favored in the forward direction.

[Rose Arcallana 2B]

Conjugate seesaw was mentioned in the 2nd lecture for Week 2. But basically, this is the relationship between the acid and its conjugate base, where the stronger the acid, the weaker the conjugate base. This also applies to bases and their conjugate acid, where the stronger the base is, the weaker the conjugate acid.

The seesaw part refers to the give and takes of these pairs like a seesaw.

If you like it can be shown by Ka * Kb = Kw, where since Kw is a constant, Ka and Kb are inverse of each other.

[Chelsea Tran 3H]

The conjugate seesaw refers to how the stronger the acid, the weaker its conjugate base, and the stronger the base, the weaker its conjugate acid. The two are inversely proportional as according to the equation Ka*Kb=Kw

[loganchun]

The conjugate seesaw essentially means that the relationship between an acid and its conjugate base is inversely proportional. In other words, the stronger the acid, the weaker its conjugate base is going to be. This also is the same with bases and its conjugate acids.

[Yewon Jang 3K]

The conjugate seesaw basically states that when there is a strong acid, it will have a weak conjugate base; a weak acid will have a strong conjugate base; a strong base will have a weak conjugate acid; and a weak base will have a strong conjugate acid. If you picture a seesaw, when one side goes up, the other goes down. Hope that helps!

[Heba Bounar 3K]

Hi! The conjugate seesaw refers to the relationship between acids/bases and their conjugate base/acid. It states that the stronger the acid, the weaker its conjugate base, and the stronger the base, the weaker its conjugate acid. Hope that helps!

[Sydney Ngao 3I]

The seesaw is a term for the relationship between an acid and its conjugate base and vice versa. If an acid is stronger, then its resulting conjugate base will be weaker. Same goes for strong bases, its resulting conjugate acid will be weaker. So in that sense it is like a seesaw because when one is high/strong, the other is low/weak.

[Collin Le 3I]

The conjugate seesaw is used to define the relationship between an acid and its conjugate base or vice versa. There is an inverse relationship where if an acid is strong, its conjugate base will be weak. If the acid is weak, its conjugate base will be strong.

[Natalie Coughlin 1I]

The conjugate seesaw just means that the stronger the acid, the weaker its conjugate base. And the stronger the base, the weaker its conjugate acid.

[hanniaghernandez]

Professor went over this in the lecture given Wednesday 1/12. He stated that the conjugate seesaw means that the stronger the acid, the weaker its conjugate base. And likewise, the stronger the base, the weaker its conjugate acid (The more acid it will form.) An example that he provided in class is:
HCl in water=100% dissociation --> H+.
Cl- is stable and therefore is bad at picking up a proton.

Hopefully, this helps but you should go back to what he said in the lecture since we are given the option to watch it how many times we want.

[dericasu3a]

The conjugate seesaw means that the stronger the acid, the weaker the conjugate base. And vice versa, the stronger the base, the weaker the conjugate acid. It's the relationship between Ka and Kb (the acidity and basicity constants)

[305723807]

the stronger the acid the weak the congujate base

[Mia Orr 3B]

The conjugate seesaw refers to the relationship between acids/bases and their conjugates. A strong acid will have a weak conjugate base, while a weak acid will have a strong conjugate base. On the other hand, a strong base will have a weak conjugate acid, and a weak base will have a strong conjugate acid. Hope this helps!

[indigoaustin 3H]

The conjugate seesaw means the stronger the acid, the weaker its conjugate base and the stronger the base, the weaker its conjugate acid. He mentioned this during the 1/12 lecture.