# Hydrogen Chloride vs. Hydrochloric acid

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hydrogen-chloride-vs-hydrochloric-acid/69905>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [June 23, 2001, 8:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hydrogen-chloride-vs-hydrochloric-acid/69905 "2001-06-23T20:14:11Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 6\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![sethdallob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e36b37/32.png) [@sethdallob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sethdallob)\
**Post date:** [June 23, 2001, 8:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hydrogen-chloride-vs-hydrochloric-acid/69905/1 "2001-06-23T20:14:11Z")

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What’s the difference between the two? Isn’t that like calling water Oxygenic acid?

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**Author:** ![barking\_frog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/96bed5/32.png) [@barking\_frog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/barking_frog)\
**Post date:** [June 23, 2001, 8:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hydrogen-chloride-vs-hydrochloric-acid/69905/2 "2001-06-23T20:36:51Z")

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Hydrogen chloride is a gas and a molecular compound. Hydrochloric acid is hydrogen chloride in aqueous form - in water, the hydrogen ions dissociate to create an acid.

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**Author:** ![sethdallob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e36b37/32.png) [@sethdallob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sethdallob)\
**Post date:** [June 23, 2001, 9:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hydrogen-chloride-vs-hydrochloric-acid/69905/3 "2001-06-23T21:29:13Z")

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So when the label on the toilet bowl cleaner (clearly a liquid) says “active ingredient: Hydrogen chloride, 9.05%” it’s really good old HCl?

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**Author:** ![Squink](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b5e925/32.png) [@Squink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Squink)\
**Post date:** [June 23, 2001, 9:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hydrogen-chloride-vs-hydrochloric-acid/69905/4 "2001-06-23T21:46:08Z")

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Yes, hydrochloric acid is an aqueous solution of hydrogen chloride. Sometimes it’s called muriatic acid, but it’s all just HCl in water.

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**Author:** ![capacitor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e47774/32.png) [@capacitor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/capacitor)\
**Post date:** [June 23, 2001, 10:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hydrogen-chloride-vs-hydrochloric-acid/69905/5 "2001-06-23T22:45:01Z")

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> [@](#):
>
> \*Originally posted by sethdallob \*  
> \*\*What’s the difference between the two? Isn’t that like calling water Oxygenic acid? \*\*

No, no, water is hydrogen dioxide, the most dangerous substance in the universe. 🙂

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**Author:** ![SouprChckn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/5f9b8f/32.png) [@SouprChckn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SouprChckn)\
**Post date:** [June 23, 2001, 10:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hydrogen-chloride-vs-hydrochloric-acid/69905/6 "2001-06-23T22:58:19Z")

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> [@](#):
>
> \*Originally posted by capacitor \*
> 
> \*\*No, no, water is hydrogen dioxide, the most dangerous substance in the universe. 🙂 \*\*

Actually, that’s **di** hydrogen monoxide. Its H[sub]2[/sub]O, not HO[sub]2[/sub]