The Conjugate Seesaw - Conceptual Understanding

[Sophia Dominguez 3I]

Although our notes clearly state that with the conjugate seesaw, the stronger the acid, the weaker its conjugate base and the stronger the base, the weaker its conjugate acid. I understand how this relates to the equation Ka X Kb = Kw. I also understand how to calculate different values when given this equation. However, can anyone break this down a bit more conceptually? I am having a hard time entirely understanding the reasoning behind the relationship between acids and bases in this scenario.

[Simren Nagra 1D]

How I like to think of it is that strong bases and acids like to dissociate completely, and thus once, for example, HCl breaks into H+ and Cl- this reaction cannot be reversed. Thus, this means that Cl-, the conjugate base of HCl, will not pick up those H+ protons and form HCl again, making it a weak base. I hope that helps!

[Will Harvey 1B]

A strong acid or base will have a high Ka or Kb, meaning they will produce a lot of H+ (H30+) or OH-. the conjugate of those strong acids or bases will have low Ka or Kb's based off the Kw equation. Thus, they will not be as productive in generating H+ (H30+) or OH-.

[Savannah Licciardello 2C]

I think its easiest to think of it in terms of OH and H3O. A strong acid will have a high concentration of H3O, which means a low concentration of OH, which is why the base is weak. Another relationship you can use to think about it is [OH][H3O]=10^-14. If one is high, the other has to be low, creating the seesaw.