Product Overview
Hydrochloric Acid 37% ACS Reagent Grade (CAS 7647-01-0) is a concentrated aqueous solution of hydrogen chloride — HCl gas dissolved in water — sold under the ACS Reagent grade descriptor. Buyers also search for it as Muriatic Acid 37%. It is a strong, corrosive mineral acid: a colorless watery liquid with a sharp, irritating odor that sinks and mixes with water. Laboratory buyers request the ACS Reagent designation for analytical work; industrial buyers use the same 37% strength for pH control, metal cleaning, and chemical synthesis. We offer it in pack sizes from 1 quart bottles for the bench up to 55 gallon drums and 275–330 gallon totes for production lines.
Why This Concentration
37% is the practical top of the range for aqueous hydrochloric acid — the concentration most laboratory procedures and dilution schedules are written around. Buying at 37% gives you one stock solution to dilute down to whatever working strength your titration, pH adjustment, or pickling bath calls for, instead of stocking several intermediate strengths. The trade-off is handling intensity: at this concentration the solution produces irritating vapor and carries a vapor pressure of 413.6 mmHg, so it fumes on opening and demands ventilation, corrosion-resistant equipment, and full PPE. The ACS Reagent grade descriptor is the designation analytical labs, QC departments, and research groups typically specify on purchase orders when a procedure calls for reagent-grade acid; buyers running non-analytical work such as concrete cleaning or drain-scale removal often don't need to pay for that designation. Review the product's technical data sheet and lot documentation to confirm the material fits your procedure before ordering.
Chemical Profile
This is a colorless watery liquid — hydrogen chloride gas dissolved in water — with a pungent, irritating odor. It sinks and mixes with water and produces irritating vapor as it releases HCl gas. The 37% w/w solution has a density of 1.19 at 20 °C, a vapor pressure of 413.6 mmHg, and a solubility of 82.3 g/100 g at 32 °F. Molecular formula ClH; molecular weight 36.46; CAS Number 7647-01-0. That high vapor pressure is the number an operator should respect most: it is why open containers of concentrated hydrochloric acid fume in humid air and why secondary containment near mild steel invites corrosion.
Industrial Applications
Concentrated hydrochloric acid earns its place in more working processes than almost any other laboratory acid:
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Laboratory analysis: a standard reagent for titrations and other analytical chemistry work — the workhorse acid for sample digestion and standardization in the laboratory.
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pH control: water-treatment operators dose HCl to pull pH down in treatment processes; a small volume of 37% acid moves a large volume of water.
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Metal cleaning: dissolves oxide and mill scale from steel and other metals in pickling and surface-prep operations ahead of plating or coating.
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Chemical synthesis: a reagent in the synthesis of pharmaceutical compounds and other fine chemicals, supplying chloride or protonation where a route requires it.
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Catalysis: acts as an acid catalyst in a range of chemical manufacturing reactions.
Handling & Storage
Treat this product as what it is: a fuming, corrosive acid with a signal word of Danger (per the product's GHS classification). Its hazard statements are H290 May be corrosive to metals, H314 Causes severe skin burns and eye damage, and H335 May cause respiratory irritation (per the product's GHS classification). Our handling guidance, reviewed by Andre Taki, DOT Hazmat Specialist: wear acid-resistant gloves, splash goggles, and appropriate body protection every time the container opens, and work with ventilation adequate for the vapor. Store it cool, dry, and well ventilated in corrosion-resistant containers such as HDPE or glass, tightly closed, and keep it away from metals, bases, and organic materials. When diluting, always add acid to water — slowly, with constant stirring — never water to acid, to control heat and splashing.
Hazmat & Shipping
This product ships as fully regulated hazardous material. It moves under UN1789 (per 49 CFR 172.101), Hazard Class 8 — Corrosive (per 49 CFR 172.101), Packing Group II (per 49 CFR 172.101), with the proper shipping name Hydrochloric acid (per 49 CFR 172.101). Our team packs Class 8 corrosives daily: UN-spec packaging, correct marks and labels, and shipping papers prepared to the regulation. Receivers should be set up to accept Class 8 freight at their dock.
Documentation
A Safety Data Sheet ships with every order, and SDS copies are available in English, Spanish, French, and Japanese — useful for multi-site EHS programs and cross-border paperwork. A lot-specific Certificate of Analysis is available for QC teams that need to tie the material on their shelf to documented purity data for the exact lot received, and a technical data sheet is available for engineering review.
Why Buy from Alliance Chemical
We package this acid across the full working range — 1 quart and 1 gallon bottles for laboratory analysis, 5 and 15 gallon carboys for pilot work, and 55 gallon drums through 275 and 330 gallon totes for production pH control and metal-cleaning lines — all offered with SDS support in four languages and lot-specific COAs. Alliance Chemical has operated as an industrial chemical distributor since 1998, serving more than 50,000 customers from our Taylor, Texas warehouse. Every hydrochloric acid shipment is handled by a team that classifies, packs, and documents Class 8 corrosives as its daily work, with shipping and handling guidance reviewed by Andre Taki, DOT Hazmat Specialist. If you're weighing pack sizes or need documentation before a first order, ask — that's the part of the job we're built for.
