hydrogen chloride

American  

noun

1. a colorless gas, HCl, having a pungent odor: the anhydride of hydrochloric acid.

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hydrogen chloride British  

noun

1. a colourless pungent corrosive gas obtained by the action of sulphuric acid on sodium chloride: used in making vinyl chloride and other organic chemicals. Formula: HCl

2. an aqueous solution of hydrogen chloride; hydrochloric acid

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hydrogen chloride Scientific  

1. A colorless, corrosive, suffocating gas used in making plastics and in many industrial processes. When mixed with water, it forms hydrochloric acid. Chemical formula: HCl.

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Etymology

Origin of hydrogen chloride

First recorded in 1865–70

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Compare meaning

How does hydrogen-chloride compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• hydrogen chloride vs. hydrochloric acid

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

hydrogen chloride

When thermal runaway starts, the process can continue for days, with the potential for batteries to release toxic gases such as hydrogen fluoride, hydrogen chloride and carbon monoxide.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 25, 2026

Officials warned when they burned it that two concerning gases — hydrogen chloride and phosgene, which was used as a weapon in World War I — might be released in the process.

From Seattle Times ● Mar. 31, 2023

Five of the derailed tank cars were carrying vinyl chloride, which is used to make plastic and can release hydrogen chloride and other toxic chemicals when burned.

From New York Times ● Feb. 17, 2023

But when the vinyl chloride was burned, the chemical reaction generates new corrosive chemicals: phosgene gas and hydrogen chloride.

From Salon ● Feb. 15, 2023

Iron might have been used instead of zinc, in which case the reactions would have been:— Iron + hydrogen chloride = iron chloride + hydrogen.

From An Introduction to Chemical Science by Rufus Phillips Williams

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