Hydrochloric Acid Research Paper

Hydrochloric acid is the clear colourless solutions of hydrogen chloride (HCl) in water, hydrochloric acid is also a highly corrosive substance and a strong mineral acid meaning they are formed from inorganic compounds, hydrochloric acid is a monoprotic acid meaning that it can only ionize one H+ ion. As a result hydrochloric acid can be used in a wide range of industrial practices such as removing rust from steel, ore processing, the production of corn syrup and making of PVC plastics. Hydrochloric acid is made using a very straight forward method which involves dissolving hydrogen chloride (HCl) in water, releasing the H+ cation and Cl- anion. In this aqueous form the H+ ion joins water to form a hydronium ion (H3O+)

HCl (g) + H2O (l) →

H3O+ (aq) + Cl− (aq)
The other ion, Cl- bonds with a number of metals to form salts called chlorides. Hydrogen chloride (HCl) which occurs as a colourless liquid or a colourless to slightly yellow gas is not as simple to produce. There are a number of different methods in making the molecule, one method is to directly synthesise the substance though the electrolysis of brine solutions (mixture of sodium chloride and water) which forms chlorine (Cl2), sodium hydroxide, and hydrogen (H2). The pure chlorine gas is combined with the pure hydrogen gas to form hydrogen chloride gas (HCl)

The gas is then absorbed by demineralized water thus making Hydrochloric acid.

This procedure takes place in an oven called an HCl burner and produces a chemically pure hydrochloric acid that is stored as a concentrated solution (about 30% HCl) and is the purest hydrochloric acid commercially produced. It is chemically possible to produce up to 40% HCl but this solution evaporates a too fast a rate for it to be used for commercial use. However, this method accounts for only 10% of all hydrochloric acid production. Most hydrochloric acid, especially the more diluted solutions, are made as the by-product of creations of PVC plastics. PVC plastics creation use a process called chlorinated and fluorinated. Chlorinated happens when chlorine molecule (Cl2) replace hydrogen atom in the hydrocarbon (R−H) (a type of Haloalkanes) whereupon the released hydrogen atom recombines with the spare atom from the chlorine molecule to form Hydrogen chloride

(HCl).
R−H(g) + Cl2 (g)→ R−Cl(g) + HCl(g)
Fluorinated involve much of same method as chlorinated except that the fluorine atom in Hydrogen fluoride (HF) is use to replace the chorine in a chorine Haloalkanes (R-Cl) to let the Hydrogen atom and chorine atom to form Hydrogen chloride (HCl).

R−Cl (g) + HF (g) → R−F (g) + HCl (g)

After Hydrogen chloride (HCl) has been produced it is then siphoned off into containers filled with water therefore making Hydrochloric acid.

For safety concerns hydrochloric acid factories should be located in sparely populated areas away from major population’s centre and large bodies of water such as rivers and lakes as Hydrochloric acid could change the PH level enough to destroy the local ecosystem.

As hydrochloric acid is a corrosive substance there are safety concerns, any hydrochloric acid concentrated above 25% is classified as a toxin be the US EPA as it can cause major corrosive damage to the lungs, eyes and skin if hydrochloric acid come into contact with them. Hydrochloric acid can also turn into the toxic gas chlorine if combined with chemicals such as bleach (NaClO) and potassium permanganate (KMnO4). Chlorine gas is a principle material used in chemical weapons (e.g. world war

one)