[P-man]

Please vote.

[hmx9123]

I use HCl all the time for cleaning.  For reactions, it's more like nitric, but I'm a little bit of an oddball when it comes to reactions in O-chem.

[jdurg]

I use HCl all the time for cleaning.  For reactions, it's more like nitric, but I'm a little bit of an oddball when it comes to reactions in O-chem.

Hehe.  We're not going to be discussing your o-chem reactions involving nitric acid here hmx.    

[savoy7]

acetic acid - I cook a lot and I do love it for marinating and dressings.

HCl in the lab for cleaning
Acetic acid to get rid of our hard water
Sulfuric to digest

Of those 3 I use HCl the most

[eugenedakin]

Inhibited Concentrated Hydrochloric acid (diluted 1:1 with water)

This is used in the oilfield by the truckloads to remove Calcium Carbonate buildup in 1.5 kilometer sections of pipe producing petroleum.

Eugene Dakin Ph.D., P.Chem.

[Donaldson Tan]

i like acetic acid to go with my fish and chips

 

[movies]

For me, hydrochloric is the most common; I use it during aqueous work-ups all the time.  I use nitric for cleaning really tough stuff.  I try to avoid acetic acid because the smell drives me nuts.  Citric acid (or more specifically aqueous sodium citrate) is great for removing triethylamine during extractions.  One of my favorite tricks.  I hardly ever use sulfuric acid.  I prefer organic sulfonic acids when I need an acid catalyst.  p-Toluene sulfonic acid is the best.  You can weigh it out because it's a solid.

[limpet chicken]

I don't personally think anybody is realistically going to use nitrous acid as their most common, its far FAR too unstable, and a nasty DNA intercalator to boot, as I remember.

I can only recall having used the stuff 1-2 times in my lab.

Nice tip on removing triethylamine Movies, the stench of that stuff, and worse, its methyl counterpart, makes my skin crawl.