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HCl is called hydrochloric acid. What was added to give this molecule its appropriate name?

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Final answer:

Hydrochloric acid is named by adding the prefix 'hydro-' to the stem 'chlor-', from chlorine, and then adding the suffix '-ic' and 'acid'. This nomenclature is used when hydrogen chloride (HCl) is dissolved in water, forming H3O+ and Cl- ions.

Step-by-step explanation:

To name the molecule HCl as hydrochloric acid, the prefix 'hydro-' was added to the stem of the nonmetal chlorine, followed by the suffix '-ic' and then 'acid', based on a nomenclature system for acids.

When hydrogen chloride (HCl) is dissolved in water, it becomes hydrochloric acid and can donate a proton to water, forming hydronium ions (H3O+) and chloride ions (Cl-), which is a typical behavior of acids. Hydrochloric acid is a strong acid and is widely used to prepare chloride salts and in titrations to determine the amount of bases.

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