Hydrochloride - wikipedia Hydrochloride In chemistry, a hydrochloride is an acid salt resulting, or regarded as resulting, from the reaction of hydrochloric acid with an organic base ( e.g. an amine ). An alternative name is chlorhydrate, which comes from French. An archaic alternative name is muriate, derived from hydrochloric acid 's ancient name : muriatic acid. For example, reacting pyridine ( C H N ) with hydrochloric acid ( HCl ) yields its hydrochloride salt, pyridinium chloride. The molecular formula is either written as C H N HCl or as C H NH Cl. Uses Converting insoluble amines into hydrochlorides is a common way to make them water - soluble. This characteristic is particularly desirable for substances used in medications. The European Pharmacopoeia lists more than 200 hydrochlorides as active ingredients in medications. These hydrochlorides, compared to free bases, may more readily dissolve in the gastrointestinal tract and be able to be absorbed into the bloodstream more quickly. In addition, many hydrochlorides of amines have a longer shelf - life than their respective free bases See also Chloride, inorganic salts of hydrochloric acid Free base ( chemistry ) Quaternary ammonium cation References Jump up ^ P. Heinrich Stahl ( Editor ), Camille G. Wermuth ( Editor ) : Pharmaceutical Salts : Properties, Selection, and Use, 2. Ed., Wiley, 2011, ISBN 978 - 3 - 90639 - 051 - 2. Jump up ^ European Pharmacopoeia 7th Edition 2011, EDQM. Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Hydrochloride&oldid=801255944 '' Categories : Acid salts Organochlorides Salts Talk About Wikipedia Bosanski Čeština Deutsch Français Italiano Nederlands Polski Português Русский Српски / srpski Srpskohrvatski / српскохрватски Suomi Svenska Edit links This page was last edited on 18 September 2017, at 16 : 43. About Wikipedia

Question: why do so many medications have hcl in them
Answer: to make them water-soluble