Detailed Product Description:

A colorless to slightly yellow liquid with a pungent odor. 

Noncombustible.  This is a strong and highly corrosive acid. 

Soluble in water, alcohol, and benzene.  Most commonly used

for metal pickling and cleaning processes.  Also a laboratory

reagent.

Grade/Purity:

This is Semiconductor Grade material (equivalent to Reagent

Grade).

Background:

Hydrochloric acid is the solution of hydrogen chloride (HCl) in water.  

It is a highly corrosive, strong mineral acid and has major industrial uses.  

It is found naturally in gastric acid.

Historically called muriatic acid or spirits of salt, hydrochloric acid was

First produced from vitriol and common salt.  During the Middle Ages, it

was used by alchemists in the quest for the philosopher's stone.

With major production starting in the Industrial Revolution, hydrochloric

acid is used in the chemical industry as a chemical reagent in the large-scale

production of vinyl chloride for PVC plastic, and MDI/TDI for polyurethane.  

It has numerous smaller-scale applications, including household cleaning,

production of gelatin and other food additives, descaling, and leather processing.  

Of the seven common strong mineral acids in chemistry, hydrochloric acid is the

monoprotic acid least likely to undergo an interfering oxidation-reduction reaction.  

It is one of the least hazardous strong acids to handle; despite its acidity, it consists

of the non-reactive and non-toxic chloride ion.  Intermediate strength hydrochloric

acid solutions are quite stable upon storage, maintaining their concentrations over

time.  These attributes, plus the fact that it is available as a pure reagent, mean that

hydrochloric acid makes an excellent acidifying reagent.

Hydrochloric acid is the preferred acid in titration for determining the amount of

bases.  Strong acid titrants give more precise results due to a more distinct endpoint.  

Azeotropic or "constant-boiling" hydrochloric acid (roughly 20.2%) can be used as

a primary standard in quantitative analysis, although its exact concentration depends

on the atmospheric pressure when it is prepared.

Hydrochloric acid is frequently used in chemical analysis to prepare ("digest")

samples for analysis. Concentrated hydrochloric acid dissolves many metals and

forms oxidized metal chlorides and hydrogen gas, and it reacts with basic

compounds such as calcium carbonate or copper(II) oxide, forming the dissolved

chlorides that can be analyzed.

Applications;

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.

Precautions:

Concentrated hydrochloric acid (fuming hydrochloric acid) forms acidic mists.  

Both the mist and the solution have a corrosive effect on human tissue, with the

potential to damage respiratory organs, eyes, skin, and intestines.

Upon mixing hydrochloric acid with common oxidizing chemicals, such as sodium

hypochlorite (bleach, NaClO) or potassium permanganate (KMnO4), the toxic gas,

chlorine, is produced.

Download the Material Safety Data Sheet for this material and understand the

precautions listed before using.  Strong irritant to eyes and skin.  Toxic by

inhalation and ingestion.

Click here to download copy of MSDS (Material Safety Data Sheet)

Concentration Terminology:

Hydrochloric Acid concentration is most commonly presented in weight % (w/w%),

however other terms include “Baume´” and “Molarity.”

38% HCl = 23 Baume´ = 12.39 Molar

32% HCl = 20 Baume´ = 10.17 Molar

20% HCl = 13 Baume´ =  6 Molar