Hydrochloric Acid (HCl)

What is Hydrochloric Acid?

Hydrochloric acid also called muriatic acid is an aqueous solution of hydrogen chloride with the chemical formula HCl. It is a strong corrosive acid that is formed when a hydrogen and chlorine atom are connected with a single covalent bond.

Hydrochloric acid is a strongly acidic and simple diatomic molecule that has a distinctively pungent smell. It is widely used in laboratories as a reagent and processing or production of leather and gelatin. It is a component of gastric acid in our digestive system.

Properties

The physical properties such as boiling and melting points, density, and pH of hydrochloric acid depend on the concentration or molarity of the aqueous HCl solution. The most common properties of HCl are given below,

• Chemical formula: HCl(aq)
• Molecular Weight/ Molar Mass: 36.458 g/mol
• Appearance: Colorless liquid that fumes in the air when concentrated
• Odor: Pungent smelling
• Melting point: Depends on the concentration of HCl
• Boiling point: Depends on the concentration of HCl
• Acidity (pKa): −5.9 for HCl gas
• CAS Number: 7647–01–0