Hydrochloric Acid | HCL
In Australia

Hydrochloric acid is the aqueous solution of hydrogen chloride gas (HCl). It is a strong acid, and the major component of gastric acid. It is also widely used in industry. Hydrochloric acid must be handled with appropriate safety precautions because it is a highly corrosive solution.

Hydrochloric acid is prepared by dissolving hydrogen chloride in water. Hydrogen chloride can be generated in many ways, and thus several different precursors to hydrochloric acid exist. The large-scale production of hydrochloric acid is almost always integrated with other industrial scale chemicals production.

Applications
1. Hydrochloric Acid is a common Laboratory Reagent.
2. Regeneration of Ion Exchangers
3. pH Control & Neutralization
4. Pickling of Steel
5. Production of Inorganic Compounds
6. Production of Organic Compounds
7. Used as a fundamental chemical
8. Used in a large number of small-scale applications, such as leather processing, household cleaning, and building construction. In addition, a way of stimulating oil production is by injecting hydrochloric acid into the rock formation of an oil well, dissolving a portion of the rock, and creating a large-pore structure. Oil-well acidizing is a common process in the North Sea oil production industry.

Many chemical reactions involving hydrochloric acid are applied in the production of food, food ingredients, and food additives. Typical products include aspartame, fructose, citric acid, lysine, hydrolyzed (vegetable) protein as food enhancer, and in gelatin production. Food-grade (extra-pure) hydrochloric acid can be applied when needed for the final product.