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
“Hydrochloride” means that it was reacted with hydrochloric acid. Hydrochloric acid is a hydrogen atom and a chlorine atom bound together that have been added to water. This is done because it makes a lot of things more soluble in water. Some things are kind of insoluble, but add some of the acid and they dissolve quite easily. This is especially done with drugs (or with Bromine to form a Bromide) so they dissolve quickly and easily and are absorbed by the body.
Latest Answers