Question

What happens when HCl reacts with water?

• A. Only ${\text{H}}^{+}$ is formed
• B. Only ${\text{OH}}^{-}$ is released
• C. Only ${\text{Cl}}^{-}$ is formed
• D. Both ${\text{H}}^{+}$ and ${\text{Cl}}^{-}$ are formed

Answer 1

The correct option is D Both ${\text{H}}^{+}$ and ${\text{Cl}}^{-}$ are formed

Hydrochloric acid is a strong acid which dissociates into ${\text{H}}^{+}$ and ${\text{Cl}}^{-}$ ions in water. This process is a highly exothermic reaction. The reaction takes place as follows:

$\text{HCl}\text{(aq)}\rightleftharpoons {\text{H}}^{+}\text{(aq)}+{\text{Cl}}^{-}\text{(aq)}$