Question

One of the substances that give wet goats and dirty gym socks their characteristic odors is hexanoic acid, CH3CH2CH2CH2CH2CO2H, which is a monoprotic weak acid. Write the formula for the conjugate base of this acid. Write the equation for the reaction between this acid and water, and indicate the BrønstedLowry acid and base for the forward reaction. (The acidic hydrogen atom is on the right side of the formula.)

Answer 1

Answer:

The formula of the conjugate base anion would be CH₃CH₂CH₂CH₂CH₂COO⁻.

Kindly see the attachment for the reaction.

Explanation:

Hexanoic acid on reaction with water gets deprotonated and leads to the formation of carboxylate anion.

Hexanoic acid is a proton donor when water abstracts proton from hexanoic acid. Also water accepts a proton donated by hexanoic acid so water is a proton acceptor.

The bronsted -lowry acid base concepts states that any substance that donates a proton or has the capacity is a bronsted acid and any substance which has the capacity to accept proton is a bronsted base.

So here in this case Hexanoic acid is a proton donor as it is donating its acidic proton and water is acting as a bronsted base as it is accepting the proton.

As soon as an acid is deprotonated it generates its conjugate base anion.

As soon as an base is protonated it generates a  its conjugate acid .

In this reaction :

CH₃CH₂CH₂CH₂CH₂COOH +H₂O→CH₃CH₂CH₂CH₂CH₂COO⁻+H₃O⁺

In left hand side hexanoic acid is a bronsted acid and H₂O is the bronste base.

In right hand side the CH₃CH₂CH₂CH₂CH₂COO⁻ acts a bronsted base and H₃O⁺ acts as a bronsted acid.