Verified answer

Hydrochloric acid starts off as HCl gas. HCl gas is dissolved in water to make hydorochloric acid. Hydrochloric acid ionizes in water when it dissolves to make hydrated hydrogen ions and chloride ions. Both the hydrogen ion a the chloride ion are necessary for charge balance, and the chloride ion is not something that can always be ignored. In fact, it is sometimes the reactant.

For instance, in the reaction between AgNO3 solution and hydrochloric acid, the H+ is the spectator ion.

AgNO3(aq) + HCl(aq) --> AgCl(s) + HNO3(aq)

Ag+ + Cl- --> AgCl(s)

Then we have the issue of H3O+, often called the "hydronium ion". The exact nature of the hydrated hydrogen ion is not known. In 1923, it seemed like a good to Lowry as he developed the idea of proton donors and acceptors (acids and bases). The most likely candidate for the hydrated hydrogen ion is H9O4^+.

Interestingly enough, while the H3O+ ion doesn't exist in acidic solutions, it does exist in interstellar clouds of gas.

============== Follow up ================

Kathleen means well, but turbine blades don't respond well to *anything* in the steam. In fact, they don't even like steam. As for metals corroding in HCl solution, the H+ is usually the culprit, but chloride ion makes a very good charge carrier, hastening the rate of corrosion.

Chloride is corrosive.

I test for as little as 1 ppb Cl for steam used in turbines in power plants.

It causes stress corrosion cracking in the turbine blades.

If you dip a piece of metal in HCl it will corrode.

Because hci is easier to write lmao