Zinc Chloride

Zinc Chloride is a white deliquescent chemical compound with the formula: ZnCl₂. It is most well known as a soldering flux, laboratory chemical, preservative, in batteries as electrolyte material, and for its usage in textile production.

Chemical
Zinc chloride has many useful chemical properties that make it applicable to many different chemical applications. Some of these properties include: its ability to function as a desiccant (zinc chloride has a very high level of affinity for water), anti-bacterial and sanitary functionality.

Metallurgical
During soldering and other metallurgical processes, one factor that must be considered is that the outermost layer of metal will often be a metal oxide. This is most likely the result of the metal’s reaction to oxygen in air. Zinc chloride is often used to dissolve the oxide and leave just the bare metal to work with. Zinc chloride is also a well-known metal flux material.

Additional Notes:
* In hide, skin, and leather tanning, it is not uncommon for zinc chloride to be used as a preservative.
* There are 9 crystalline forms of zinc chloride.
* Similar to the application of zinc oxide in rubber vulcanization, zinc chloride primarily functions in textile production and in the creation of vulcanized fiber as a polymer cross-linking agent.

**deliquescent define