Zinc chloride is a chemical compound of two elements - chlorine and zinc - and is indicated by the formula ZnCl2. This substance is a white crystal.
Zinc chloride is quite easily soluble in water - at room temperature, its solubility is 80%. Chloride melts at 322 ° C, and boils at 722 ° C.
It turns out zinc chloride in two ways. The first option: zinc or its oxide is dissolved in hydrochloric acid, after which solutions are evaporated from the resulting mixture. The second option: zinc (in the liquid state) is heated in a stream of chlorine.
The hydrolysis of zinc chloride takes place at the cation and has the following formula: ZnCl2 + H2O = ZnOHCl + HCl. The medium of the resulting solution is acidic.
Industrial production of zinc chloride is available in two forms: solid and liquid. In solid form, the substance should be in the form of white flakes, slight staining in any color is permissible. As a solution, chloride should be colorless or have a slight yellowish tint. The solution may be slightly cloudy.
In solid form, the mass fraction of chloride should not be less than 97.7%, in solution - 50%. Zinc chloride is not combustible.
The substance is very dangerous for the environment and humans: a solid substance has a 2 degree of toxicity. The substance, upon contact with the skin and mucous membranes of a person or an animal, causes irritation, with longer contact with the skin causes burns, corrodes tissues. The wounds formed in this way are very difficult to heal.
The danger is the ingress of substance into the respiratory tract. In small doses, it causes perspiration in the nasopharynx and throat, dry cough. If you inhale a large amount of chloride, shortness of breath and the so-called bubbling breathing may occur.
If the substance enters the mucous membrane of the eye, the victim experiences a fairly intense cutting pain. If you do not rinse your eyes immediately, total or partial blindness may occur.
Due to the toxicity of zinc chloride, extreme care must be taken during its transportation and use. Crystalline zinc chloride is packed in carbon steel bags or drums , the solution is transported in steel barrels or special tanks.
The substance is transported both by rail, and by road, and by sea. The substance is transported only in covered compartments and the person in charge is obliged to monitor the integrity of the packaging during transportation.
When working with zinc chloride, workers are required to wear appropriate clothing, rubber gloves, goggles, and respirators to match the concentration of the substance in the air.
In no case should zinc chloride be allowed to enter water bodies and sewage systems.
Zinc chloride is used in many areas of production. It is used to impregnate wooden parts for the purpose of disinfection (for example, wooden sleepers). This substance is involved in the manufacture of fiber, many dyes, many dental cements, cotton, zinc cyanide, aluminum and even vanillin. In addition, zinc chloride is used to clean metal surfaces before painting, soldering and chrome plating. This substance also plays a significant role in oil refining, analysis of coal samples and the manufacture of galvanic batteries.
Zinc chloride is also used for dyeing chintz, producing viscose fibers, and as an electrolyte for galvanizing. It is possible to use the substance in medicine - as a drug that stops rot; in gardening - as micronutrient fertilizers.
In addition, zinc chloride, due to its brilliant ability to greedily absorb moisture from the air, is used as a dehumidifier. It is also indispensable in the fire business, as it is involved in the manufacture of fire-resistant foam and the impregnation of fabrics and cardboard.