Question

Does hydrochloric acid dissolve plastic?

Answer 1

Hint: Hydrochloric acid also called muriatic acid is a water-based, or aqueous solution of hydrogen chloride gas. It is a strong acid and also an important laboratory reagent. It is the main component of gastric acid, an acid that is produced naturally in the human stomach to help in the process of digestion of food.

Complete answer:
Plastic contains some contents which are considered as a resistance for the hydrochloric acid, so due to this reason hydrochloric acid does not dissolve plastic. Hydrochloric acid is a strong acid and is highly reactive with metals, metal oxides and skin. Proper storage of hydrochloric acid is important because the acid can react with the storage container and the spillage can result in acid burns, mainly if the acid is extremely concentrated. Hydrochloric acid reacts with many metals producing flammable hydrogen gas which can become an explosion hazard. Plastics generally do not react with acids and the plastics which are used for acid storage are especially unreactive. Glass also does not react with hydrochloric acid. Metals react readily with hydrochloric acid, so they are not used to store this acid.
Therefore, hydrochloric acid does not dissolve plastic.

Note:
Concentrated hydrochloric acid is the most commonly used halogen acid for the dissolution of various geologic samples. Hydrochloric acid is a weak reducing agent and is usually not used to digest organic materials. It is a very good solvent for carbonates, phosphates, many metal oxides and metals.