Home >> Science & Nature >> Science

How to Filter Hydrochloric Acid Vapor

Hydrogen chloride is a corrosive gas at standard temperature (0 degrees Celsius) and pressure (1 atmosphere). Water will dissolve hydrogen chloride gas to about 30% saturation to produce hydrochloric acid, sometimes called muriatic acid. Hydrochloric acid vapor is a gas that contains the hydrogen chloride gas and two common impurities: water vapor and chlorine gas. Filtering the hydrochloric acid vapor requires several steps to adequately remove these impurities, as outlined below.

Things You'll Need

Calcium chloride
Aluminum mesh
Ice-cold water source
Water-cooled condenser apparatus
Two U-shaped glass filter tubes with corks
Hydrochloric acid vapor
Neoprene rubber tubing

Instructions

- 1
  Connect a two-foot section of rubber tubing from the source of hydrochloric acid vapor to one of the U-shaped filter tubes. Use a six-inch section of tubing to connect the first U-shaped filter tube to the second.
- 2
  Attached another two-foot section of tubing from the last filter tube to the water-cooled condenser and connect the condenser to a cold water source for cooling. Connect the condenser to a reservoir of choice for collecting the hydrochloric acid vapor. The condenser will collect the last remaining water vapor after running through the filter tubes.
- 3
  Fill the first U-shaped filter tube with calcium chloride and the second filter tube with aluminum mesh, and recork. The calcium chloride will catch the initial feed of water vapor before the condenser, and the aluminum mesh will catch the chlorine gas.

Science