re: HSC Chemistry Marathon Archive
My response would be like this, I provided a general equation for clarity:
The conjugate base is what is formed when an acid donates a proton.
HA (acid) --> H+ (proton) + A- (conjugate base)
In your answers, the idea is definitely there but the wording is poor. Be careful when you use words like "compound" and "molecule". The conjugate base may not be a molecule nor a compound. A molecule, by definition, is a structure of atoms that is neutral (that's key!) - when talking about the conjugate base, in many (most) cases, it won't be neutral. As for compounds, it's something that is pure, in this context, it's not really accurate to refer to the conjugate as a compound.