Answer: [tex]NH_4^+[/tex] is an acid, [tex]CN^-[/tex] is a base, [tex]NH_3[/tex] is conjugate base and [tex]HCN[/tex] is conjugate acid
Explanation:
According to Bronsted and Lowry's theory:
An acid is defined as a proton donor while a base is defined as a proton acceptor.
In a chemical reaction, an acid loses a proton to form a conjugate base while a base accepts a proton to form conjugate acid.
For the given chemical reaction:
[tex]NH_4^+(aq)+CN^-(aq)\rightleftharpoons HCN(aq)+NH_3(aq)[/tex]
[tex]NH_4^+[/tex] is losing a proton thus it is an acid to form [tex]NH_3[/tex] which is its conjugate base
[tex]CN^-[/tex] is gaining a proton thus it is a base to form [tex]HCN[/tex] which is its conjugate acid
Hence, [tex]NH_4^+[/tex] is an acid, [tex]CN^-[/tex] is a base, [tex]NH_3[/tex] is conjugate base and [tex]HCN[/tex] is conjugate acid
