The key difference between cyanuric acid and muriatic acid is that cyanuric acid is useful in stabilizing chlorine and cannot change the pH to a considerably lower level, whereas muriatic acid is useful in lowering the alkalinity and pH of the system.
Cyanuric acid is an acidic compound having the chemical formula (CNOH)3. Muriatic acid, commonly known as hydrochloric acid, is an aqueous solution of hydrogen chloride.
CONTENTS
1. Overview and Key Difference
2. What is Cyanuric Acid
3. What is Muriatic Acid
4. Cyanuric Acid vs Muriatic Acid in Tabular Form
5. Summary – Cyanuric Acid vs Muriatic Acid
What is Cyanuric Acid?
Cyanuric acid is an acidic compound having the chemical formula (CNOH)3. The chemical name of this compound is 1,3,5-triazine-2,4,6-triol. Similar to many industrially useful chemicals, this triazine also has many synonyms, such as tricarbimide and isocyanuric acid.
Figure 01: Cyanuric Acid
This substance occurs as a white, odorless solid that is useful as a precursor to bleaches, disinfectants, and herbicides. Cyanuric acid can be found as a cyclic trimer of cyanic acid, HOCN. It has a ring structure that can readily interconvert between its two isomeric structures: keto-enol tautomerism. The triol tautomer has an aromatic character, but the keto form predominates in solution. Moreover, it has hydroxyl groups having phenolic character.
The first synthesis of cyanuric acid was performed by Friedrich Wohler in 1829. He used thermal decomposition of urea and uric acid. In modern times, we use the thermal decomposition of urea, which releases ammonia. This conversion is done at or around approximately 175 Celsius degrees.
What is Muriatic Acid?
Muriatic acid, commonly known as hydrochloric acid, is an aqueous solution of hydrogen chloride. It is a strong acid. Its chemical formula is HCl, and its molar mass is 36.5 g/mol. This acid has a pungent odor. Furthermore, it is important as a starting compound in many inorganic chemicals such as vinyl chloride.
We can consider muriatic acid as a strongly acidic substance because it can completely dissociate into its ions (hydrogen ion and chloride ion), and it occurs as a simple chlorine-containing acid system in an aqueous solution. Furthermore, this strong acid can attack our skin over a wide composition range and can cause skin burns.
Figure 02: A Bottle of Hydrochloric Acid
This acidic substance is naturally present in the gastric acid in the digestive system of most animals, including humans. Moreover, it is commercially available as an industrial chemical for the production of polyvinyl chloride for plastic. In addition, HCl acid is useful as a descaling agent in household needs, as a food additive in the food industry, in leather processing, etc.
Muriatic acid occurs as the salt of the hydronium ion and chloride ion. We can prepare it by treating HCl with water. HCl acid is commonly used in chemical analysis for the preparation or digestion of samples for analysis. This is because concentrated HCl acid can dissolve many metals, and it can form oxidized metal chlorides with hydrogen gas.
What is the Difference Between Cyanuric Acid and Muriatic Acid?
Cyanuric acid is an acidic compound having the chemical formula (CNOH)3. Muriatic is an aqueous solution of hydrogen chloride. The key difference between cyanuric acid and muriatic acid is that cyanuric acid is useful in stabilizing the chlorine, and it cannot change the pH to a considerably lower level, whereas muriatic acid is useful in lowering the alkalinity and pH of the system.
The below infographic presents the differences between cyanuric acid and muriatic acid in tabular form for side by side comparison.
Summary – Cyanuric Acid vs Muriatic Acid
Cyanuric acid and muriatic acid are important acids in industries. The key difference between cyanuric acid and muriatic acid is that cyanuric acid is useful in stabilizing the chlorine, and it cannot change the pH to a lower level considerably, whereas muriatic acid is useful in lowering the alkalinity and pH of the system.
Reference:
1. “HCl Acid (Hydrochloric Acid) – Structure, Molecular Mass, Properties & Uses.” BYJUS.
Image Courtesy:
1. “Cyanuric acid” By Yikrazuul – Own work (Public Domain) via Commons Wikimedia
2. “Hydrochloric acid 02” By Bartłomiej Bulicz – Own work (CC BY-SA 3.0) via Commons Wikimedia