Final answer:
In the chemical reaction H₂SO₄ + KOH ⇋ H₂O + KHSO₄, water (H₂O) acts as the conjugate acid of the hydroxide ion (OH-), as it is the product formed when KOH, the base, accepts a proton.
Step-by-step explanation:
The original question asks to identify the role of water (H₂O) in the forward reaction H₂SO₄ + KOH ⇋ H₂O + KHSO₄. When potassium hydroxide (KOH), a strong base, reacts with sulfuric acid (H₂SO₄), a strong acid, KOH accepts a proton from H₂SO₄ producing water (H₂O) and potassium hydrogen sulfate (KHSO₄).
In this reaction, water is the product formed when the base (KOH) has accepted a proton. According to Brønsted-Lowry acid-base theory, the species that results from a base accepting a proton is known as the conjugate acid of the original base. Therefore, in this scenario, water (H₂O) is the conjugate acid of the hydroxide ion (OH-).