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hydrogen chloride
noun
: a colorless pungent poisonous gas HCl that fumes in moist air and yields hydrochloric acid when dissolved in water
Examples of hydrogen chloride in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Between April and December last year, the facility repeatedly exceeded its daily emissions limits for hydrogen chloride and carbon monoxide, according to the legal complaint filed Thursday in Baltimore City Circuit Court by the Maryland Department of the Environment.
—Christine Condon, Baltimore Sun, 14 Mar. 2024
That same month, another quality assurance test showed that the incinerator’s equipment wasn’t providing accurate readings for hydrogen chloride.
—Christine Condon, Baltimore Sun, 14 Mar. 2024
Tests did not find vinyl chloride or hydrogen chloride in any homes.
—Brenda Goodman, CNN, 9 Mar. 2024
But that was already made clear when the EPA advised officials on scene that phosgene — which was used as a chemical weapon in World War I — and hydrogen chloride would likely be created when vinyl chloride is burned and warned the public about that possibility.
—Josh Funk, Fortune, 3 Apr. 2024
About 100 homes with detections of VOCs also had additional sampling but only for vinyl chloride or one of its breakdown products, hydrogen chloride.
—Brenda Goodman, CNN, 9 Mar. 2024
Burning vinyl chloride creates the toxic gas phosgene and hydrogen chloride.
—Quinlan Bentley, The Enquirer, 6 Mar. 2024
Of those, the vinyl chloride gas that caught fire could break down into compounds including hydrogen chloride and phosgene, a chemical weapon used during World War I as a choking agent, according to the EPA and the CDC.
—Aya Elamroussi, CNN, 17 Feb. 2023
As of Friday night, 105 homes had been screened and no vinyl chloride or hydrogen chloride was detected in any of them, Bassler said.
—Andrea Salcedo and Justine McDaniel, Anchorage Daily News, 14 Feb. 2023
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'hydrogen chloride.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
First Known Use
1869, in the meaning defined above
Time Traveler
The first known use of hydrogen chloride was
in 1869
Dictionary Entries Near hydrogen chloride
Cite this Entry
“Hydrogen chloride.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hydrogen%20chloride. Accessed 4 Jul. 2024.
Kids Definition
hydrogen chloride
noun
: a colorless sharp-smelling poisonous gas that is made up of hydrogen and chlorine and produces hydrochloric acid when dissolved in water
Medical Definition
hydrogen chloride
noun
: a colorless pungent poisonous gas HCl that fumes in moist air and yields hydrochloric acid when dissolved in water
More from Merriam-Webster on hydrogen chloride
Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about hydrogen chloride
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