White; hexagonal; ZnCl₂; poisonous. Obtained by the solution of zinc, or zinc oxide, in hydrochloric acid, or by burning zinc in chlorine. Used in galvanizing iron, as a catalyst, as a dehydrating agent, as a condensing agent, as a wood preservative, as an ingredient in soldering fluxes, in burnishing and polishing compounds for steel, in electroplating, in glass-etching compositions, in petroleum refining, and in pigments.