I noticed that cocaine and ecstacy are referred to as cocaine hydrochloride and MDMA hydrochloride. I have allergy medication in my cabinet that is diphenhydramine hydrochloride.
What’s a hydrochloride and why is it part of a lot of drugs?
In: Chemistry
A hydrochloride is a compound that results from reacting an organic base with hydrochloric acid (HCl). Doing this creates the salt form of that organic base. Salts (ionic crystals, eg. NaCl, which is table salt) are usually very stable chemically, so they can be stored for long periods of time without spoiling. Furthermore, by creating a salt, it is very water-soluble. For a salt created from a base (which includes all hydrochlorides), this makes it absorb really well in the intestines.
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