In 3 to five sentences, identify the acid, base, conjugate acid and conjugate base in this reaction. Use patterns in the periodic table to explain why the substances you identified acted as the acid and the base in this reaction.
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The acid in the reaction is HCl (hydrochloric acid) and the base is NaOH (sodium hydroxide). The conjugate acid is NaCl (sodium chloride) and the conjugate base is H2O (water). HCl is a strong acid because hydrogen is bonded to a highly electronegative element (chlorine), making it an effective proton donor. NaOH is a strong base because hydroxide (OH-) is a highly electronegative group, capable of accepting a proton to form water.
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