HYDROCHLORIC ACID.

Hydrochloric acid [H+(aq) Cl−(aq) or H3O+ Cl−], also known as muriatic acid, is an aqueous

solution of hydrogen chloride (chemical formula: HCl). It is a colorless solution with a

distinctive pungent smell. It is classified as a strong acid. It is a component of the gastric acid in

the digestive systems of most animal species, including humans. Hydrochloric acid is an

important laboratory reagent and industrial chemical.

PRODUCTION OF HYDROCHLORIC ACID.

Hydrochloric acid is usually prepared industrially by dissolving hydrogen chloride in water.

Hydrogen chloride can be generated in many ways, and thus several precursors to hydrochloric

acid exist. The large-scale production of hydrochloric acid is almost always integrated with the

industrial scale production of other chemicals, such as in the chloroalkali process which

produces hydroxide, hydrogen, and chlorine, the latter of which can be combined to produce

HCl.

Hydrogen chloride is produced by combining chlorine and hydrogen:

Cl2 + H2  2HCl

It is usually produced at concentration of 35% ± 1

As the reaction is exothermic, the installation is called an HCl oven or HCl burner. The resulting

hydrogen chloride gas is absorbed in deionized water, resulting in chemically pure hydrochloric

acid. This reaction can give a very pure product, e.g, for use in the food industry.
STRUCTURE OF HYDROCHLORIC ACID.

PROPERTIES OF HYDROCHLORIC ACID.

- Hydrochloric acid as the binary (two-component) mixture of HCl and H2O has a

constant-boiling azeotrope at 20.2% HCl and 108.6 °C (227 °F).

- At room temperature, hydrochloric acid is a colorless to slightly yellow, corrosive liquid.

- The specific gravity at 25oC is between 1.166 – 1.171.

USES OF HYDROCHLORIC ACID.

1. It is used in the pickling of steel.

One of the most important applications of hydrochloric acid is in the pickling of steel, to

remove rust or iron oxide scale from iron or steel before subsequent processing, such

as extrusion, rolling, galvanizing, and other techniques. Technical quality HCl at

typically 18% concentration is the most commonly used pickling agent for the pickling

of carbon steel grades.
 Fe3O4 + Fe + 8HCl  4FeCl2 + 4H2O

The spent acid has long been reused as iron(ii)chloride (also known as ferrous chloride)

solutions, but high heavy-metal levels in the pickling liquor have decreased this practice.

The steel pickling industry has developed hydrochloric acid regeneration processes, such

as the spray roaster or the fluidized bed HCl regeneration process, which allow the

recovery of HCl from spent pickling liquor. The most common regeneration process is

the pyro hydrolysis process, applying the following formula:

4FeCl2 + 4H2O + O2  8HCl + 2Fe2O3

By the recuperation of the spent acid, a closed acid loop is established. The iron(iii)oxide by

product of the regeneration process is valuable, used in a variety of secondary industries.

2. It is used in the production of inorganic compounds.

Akin to its use for pickling, hydrochloric acid is used to dissolve many metals, metal

oxides and metal carbonates. The conversion is often depicted in simplified equations:

Zn + 2HCl  ZnCl2 + H2

NiO + 2HCl  NiCl2 + H2O

CaCO3 + 2HCl  CaCl2 + CO2 + H2O

These processes are used to produce metal chlorides for analysis or further production.

3. Ph control and neutralization.

Hydrochloric acid can be used to regulate the acidity (pH) of solutions.

OH- + HCl  H2O +Cl-

In industry demanding purity (food, pharmaceutical, drinking water), high-quality

hydrochloric acid is used to control the pH of process water streams. In less-demanding

 industry, technical quality hydrochloric acid suffices for neutralizing waste streams and

swimming pool pH control.

4. In the pharmaceutical industry, hydrochloric acid is used to convert basic drugs that are

poorly soluble or insoluble in water (examples: ciprofloxacin, citalopram, clenbuterol,

clindamycin, dibenzepine) into more readily soluble hydrochlorides.

5. It is used for cleaning

Hydrochloric acid is used in toilet bowl cleaners to remove dirt and grime. It is used for

cleaning mortar spills off new bricks, removing rust from metals and other surfaces, and

etching floors before sealing them. This product eats cotton, rayon, and mortar and is

very corrosive to metals. It can also be used in cleaning concrete, tiles, etc.

6. Biological significance

In humans and animals, hydrochloric acid is a component of gastric juice, where it

causes, among other things, the denaturation of proteins, but also serves to kill

microorganisms before entering the wider digestive system. It also creates the acidic

environment in which the digestive enzyme pepsin is most effective.

REACTIONS OF HYDROCHLORIC ACID.

1. Reaction with Ammonia.

When hydrochloric acid reacts with aqueous ammonia solution, a white smoke of

ammonium chloride is formed.

HCl + NH3 → NH4Cl

2. Reaction with Metals.

 Hydrochloric acid dissolves most metals with the exception of the precious metals

and some others (for example, tantalum and germanium), forming chlorides and

hydrogen, unless they are protected by passivation.

Mg + 2HCl → MgCl2 + H2

3. Reaction with Metal oxides.

It is very suitable for removing oxide layers on metals, since metal oxides react with

hydrochloric acid to form chlorides and water:

CuO + 2HCl → CuCl2 + H2O

4.

REFERENCES.

1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hydrochloric_acid Accessed on Friday, March 18,

2022.

2. https://aces.nmsu.edu/pubs/_g/G304/welcome.html Accessed on Friday, March 18,

2022.

3. https://itwreagents.com/italy/en/product/hydrochloric-acid-32-for-analysis-iso/

132176 Accessed on Friday, March 18, 2022.