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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
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
The incident comes a little more than a week after a train derailment in Ohio caused a chemical fire and forced evacuations as hazmat teams burned five tankers filled with vinyl chloride, sending hydrogen chloride and the toxic gas phosgene into the air.
—Perry Vandell, The Arizona Republic, 14 Feb. 2023
The plant’s coal units were retired in June 2018 under a settlement agreement with the Maryland Department of the Environment, which said the facility was not properly testing its emissions and exceeded limits for particulate matter, hydrogen chloride and carbon monoxide.
—Scott Dance, baltimoresun.com, 4 Oct. 2021
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 21 May. 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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