Final answer:
The conjugate base of hexanoic acid is C6H11O2−, formed by the removal of a hydrogen ion from the acid.
Step-by-step explanation:
The conjugate base of an acid is formed by the removal of a hydrogen ion (H+) from the acid molecule. For hexanoic acid, which has the chemical formula C6H12O2, the formula for its conjugate base would be C6H11O2−. This is because hexanoic acid (C6H12O2) would lose an H+ ion to become the conjugate base hexanoate (C6H11O2−).
Examples of other acid-base pairs include water (H2O) and hydroxide ion (OH−), trimethylamine ((CH3)3N) and its protonated form ((CH3)3NH+), and sulfuric acid (H2SO4) with its conjugate base hydrogen sulfate (HSO4−).