Demeclocycline hydrochloride is a salt prepared from demeclocycline taking advantage of the basic dimethylamino group which protonates and readily forms a salt in hydrochloric acid solutions. The hydrochloride is the preferred formulation for pharmaceutical applications. Like all tetracyclines, demeclocycline shows broad spectrum antibacterial and antiprotozoan activity and acts by binding to the 30S and 50S ribosomal subunits, blocking protein synthesis.