Abstract. Ab initio calculations for the energy and absolute transition rates of x-ray transition processes associated with the hydrogen chloride molecule have been undertaken at the relaxed Hartree-Fock level. Data for K-, L,-and L,,-shell x-ray emission spectra are presented. Comparison with atomic calculations is used to show that the molecular effect is manifested most clearly in transitions involving the 5c bonding molecular orbital. The spectra are, however, dominated by intra-atomic effects. Participator and spectator satellite transitions associated with an initial K-shell hole and a 37r excited valence electron are also considered. The energy and transition rate results for spectator satellites associated with the [ l a ] 3~ resonant excited neutral state are close to those determined for the normal K, and K, processes. The 37r participator satellite is predicted to be at higher photon energy with 10% of the main K, spectator line intensity.