HCl reacting with a carbonyl compound (say formaldehyde) sounds pretty simple. But often the simpler a thing looks, the more subtle it is under the skin. And this little reaction is actually my prelude to the next post. The mechanism is studied using ωB97XD/6-311G(d,p) with a simulated solvent (acetic acid) included (but not explicit solvent setting up any hydrogen bonds). Transition state HCl + H2C=O. Click for 3D animation.