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Pulmonary Agents
A pulmonary agent, or choking agent, is a chemical weapon agent designed to impede a victim's ability to breathe. They operate by causing a build-up of fluids in the lungs, which then leads to suffocation. Exposure to the eyes and skin tends to be corrosive, causing blurred vision and severe deep burns. Inhalation of these agents cause burning of the throat, coughing, vomiting, headache, pain in chest, tightness in chest, and respiratory and circulatory failure. Examples of pulmonary agents include: *Chlorine gas *Chloropicrin (PS) *Diphosgene (DP) *Phosgene (CG) *Disulfur decafluoride *Perfluoroisobutene *Acrolein *Diphenylcyanoarsine Phosgene is the most dangerous commonly used pulmonary agent (although disulfur decafluoride and perfluoroisobutene are both even more dangerous, with respectively 4 and 10 times the lethality of phosgene, neither is widely used). It is a colorless gas under ordinary conditions. It has a vapor density 3.4 times greater than that of air, allowing ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Chemical Weapon Agent
A chemical weapon (CW) is a specialized munition that uses chemicals formulated to inflict death or harm on humans. According to the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), this can be any chemical compound intended as a weapon "or its precursor that can cause death, injury, temporary incapacitation or sensory irritation through its chemical action. Munitions or other delivery devices designed to deliver chemical weapons, whether filled or unfilled, are also considered weapons themselves." Chemical weapons are classified as weapons of mass destruction (WMD), though they are distinct from nuclear weapons, biological weapons, and radiological weapons. All may be used in warfare and are known by the military acronym NBC (for nuclear, biological, and chemical warfare). Weapons of mass destruction are distinct from conventional weapons, which are primarily effective due to their explosive, kinetic, or incendiary potential. Chemical weapons can be widely di ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Respiratory System
The respiratory system (also respiratory apparatus, ventilatory system) is a biological system consisting of specific organs and structures used for gas exchange in animals and plants. The anatomy and physiology that make this happen varies greatly, depending on the size of the organism, the environment in which it lives and its evolutionary history. In land animals the respiratory surface is internalized as linings of the lungs. Gas exchange in the lungs occurs in millions of small air sacs; in mammals and reptiles these are called alveoli, and in birds they are known as atria. These microscopic air sacs have a very rich blood supply, thus bringing the air into close contact with the blood. These air sacs communicate with the external environment via a system of airways, or hollow tubes, of which the largest is the trachea, which branches in the middle of the chest into the two main bronchi. These enter the lungs where they branch into progressively narrower secondary and tert ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Asphyxia
Asphyxia or asphyxiation is a condition of deficient supply of oxygen to the body which arises from abnormal breathing. Asphyxia causes generalized hypoxia, which affects primarily the tissues and organs. There are many circumstances that can induce asphyxia, all of which are characterized by the inability of a person to acquire sufficient oxygen through breathing for an extended period of time. Asphyxia can cause coma or death. In 2015, about 9.8 million cases of unintentional suffocation occurred which resulted in 35,600 deaths. The word asphyxia is from Ancient Greek "without" and , "squeeze" (throb of heart). Causes Situations that can cause asphyxia include but are not limited to: airway obstruction, the constriction or obstruction of airways, such as from asthma, laryngospasm, or simple blockage from the presence of foreign materials; from being in environments where oxygen is not readily accessible: such as underwater, in a low oxygen atmosphere, or in a vacuum; envir ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Chlorine
Chlorine is a chemical element with the Symbol (chemistry), symbol Cl and atomic number 17. The second-lightest of the halogens, it appears between fluorine and bromine in the periodic table and its properties are mostly intermediate between them. Chlorine is a yellow-green gas at room temperature. It is an extremely reactive element and a strong oxidising agent: among the elements, it has the highest electron affinity and the third-highest electronegativity on the revised Electronegativity#Pauling electronegativity, Pauling scale, behind only oxygen and fluorine. Chlorine played an important role in the experiments conducted by medieval Alchemy, alchemists, which commonly involved the heating of chloride Salt (chemistry), salts like ammonium chloride (sal ammoniac) and sodium chloride (common salt), producing various chemical substances containing chlorine such as hydrogen chloride, mercury(II) chloride (corrosive sublimate), and hydrochloric acid (in the form of ). However ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Chloropicrin
Chloropicrin, also known as PS and nitrochloroform, is a chemical compound currently used as a broad-spectrum antimicrobial, fungicide, herbicide, insecticide, and nematicide. It was used as a poison gas in World War I. Its chemical structural formula is Cl3CNO2. Synthesis Chloropicrin was discovered in 1848 by Scottish chemist John Stenhouse. He prepared it by the reaction of sodium hypochlorite with picric acid: : HOC6H2(NO2)3 + 11 NaOCl → 3 Cl3CNO2 + 3 Na2CO3 + 3 NaOH + 2 NaCl Because of the precursor used, Stenhouse named the compound chloropicrin, although the two compounds are structurally dissimilar. Today, chloropicrin is manufactured by the reaction of nitromethane with sodium hypochlorite: : H3CNO2 + 3 NaOCl → Cl3CNO2 + 3 NaOH or by the reaction of chloroform with nitric acid: : CHCl3 + HNO3 → CCl3NO2 + H2O Properties Chloropicrin's chemical formula is CCl3NO2 and its molecular weight is 164.38 grams/mole. Pure chloropicrin is a colorless liquid, with a boiling po ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Diphosgene
Diphosgene is an organic chemical compound with the formula ClCO2CCl3. This colorless liquid is a valuable reagent in the synthesis of organic compounds. Diphosgene is related to phosgene and has comparable toxicity, but is more conveniently handled because it is a liquid, whereas phosgene is a gas. Production and uses Diphosgene is prepared by radical chlorination of methyl chloroformate under UV light: :Cl-CO-OCH3 + 3 Cl2 —(hv)→ Cl-CO-OCCl3 + 3 HCl Another method is the radical chlorination of methyl formate: :H-CO-OCH3 + 4 Cl2 —(hv)→ Cl-CO-OCCl3 + 4 HCl Diphosgene converts to phosgene upon heating or upon catalysis with charcoal. It is thus useful for reactions traditionally relying on phosgene. For example, it convert amines into isocyanates, secondary amines into carbamoyl chlorides, carboxylic acids into acid chlorides, and formamides into isocyanides. Diphosgene serves as a source of two equivalents of phosgene: :2 RNH2 + ClCO2CCl3 → 2 RNCO + 4 HCl W ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Phosgene
Phosgene is the organic chemical compound with the formula COCl2. It is a toxic, colorless gas; in low concentrations, its musty odor resembles that of freshly cut hay or grass. Phosgene is a valued and important industrial building block, especially for the production of precursors of polyurethanes and polycarbonate plastics. Phosgene is extremely poisonous and was used as a chemical weapon during World War I, where it was responsible for 85,000 deaths. It was a highly potent pulmonary irritant and quickly filled enemy trenches due to it being a heavy gas. It is classified as a Schedule 3 substance under the Chemical Weapons Convention. In addition to its industrial production, small amounts occur from the breakdown and the combustion of organochlorine compounds, such as chloroform. Structure and basic properties Phosgene is a planar molecule as predicted by VSEPR theory. The C=O distance is 1.18 Å, the C−Cl distance is 1.74 Å and the Cl−C−Cl angle is 111 ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Disulfur Decafluoride
Disulfur decafluoride is a chemical compound with the formula . It was discovered in 1934 by Denbigh and Whytlaw-Gray. Each sulfur atom of the molecule is octahedral, and surrounded by five fluorine atoms and one sulfur atom. The two sulfur atoms are connected by a single bond. In the molecule, the oxidation state of each sulfur atoms is +5, but their valency is 6 (they are hexavalent). is highly toxic, with toxicity four times that of phosgene. It is a colorless liquid with a burnt match smell similar to sulfur dioxide. Production Disulfur decafluoride is produced by photolysis of : : Disulfur decafluoride arises by the decomposition of sulfur hexafluoride. It is produced by the electrical decomposition of sulfur hexafluoride ()—an essentially inert insulator used in high voltage systems such as transmission lines, substations and switchgear. is also made during the production of . Properties The S-S bond dissociation energy is 305 ± 21 kJ/mol, about 80 kJ/mo ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Perfluoroisobutene
Perfluoroisobutene (PFIB) is the perfluorocarbon counterpart of the hydrocarbon isobutene and has the formula (CF3)2C=CF2. An alkene, it is a colorless gas that is notable as a highly toxic perfluoroalkene. Few simple alkenes are as toxic. Safety Perfluoroisobutene is quite toxic with an LCt = 880 mg⋅min⋅m−3 (mice). It is a Schedule 2 substance of the Chemical Weapons Convention. Perfluoroisobutene is highly reactive toward nucleophiles. It hydrolyzes readily to give the relatively innocuous (CF3)2CHCO2H, which readily decarboxylates to give hexafluoropropane. It forms addition compounds with thiols, and it is this reactivity that may be related to its toxicity. PFIB is a product of pyrolysis of polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE), one of the substances invoked to explain polymer fume fever. External links International Chemical Safety Card 1216 See also *Phosgene Phosgene is the organic chemical compound with the formula COCl2. It is a toxic, colorless gas; in l ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Acrolein
Acrolein (systematic name: propenal) is the simplest unsaturated aldehyde. It is a colorless liquid with a piercing, acrid smell. The smell of burnt fat (as when cooking oil is heated to its smoke point) is caused by glycerol in the burning fat breaking down into acrolein. It is produced industrially from propylene and mainly used as a biocide and a building block to other chemical compounds, such as the amino acid methionine. History Acrolein was first named and characterized as an aldehyde by the Swedish chemist Jöns Jacob Berzelius in 1839. He had been working with it as a thermal degradation product of glycerol, a material used in the manufacture of soap. The name is a contraction of ‘acrid’ (referring to its pungent smell) and ‘oleum’ (referring to its oil-like consistency). In the 20th century, acrolein became an important intermediate for the industrial production of acrylic acid and acrylic plastics. Production Acrolein is prepared industrially by oxidation ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Diphenylcyanoarsine
Diphenylcyanoarsine, also called Clark 2 (Chlor-Arsen-Kampfstoff 2, being the successor of Clark 1) by the Germans, was discovered in 1918 by Sturniolo and BellinzoniSturniolo, G. und Bellinzoni, G. (1919); ''Boll. chim. pharm.'', 58, 409–410 and shortly thereafter used like the related Clark 1 gas by the Germans for chemical warfare in the First World War. The substance causes nausea, vomiting, and headaches. It can subsequently lead to e.g. pulmonary edema (fluid in the lungs). See also *Cacodyl cyanide * Clark 1 *Chemical weapons A chemical weapon (CW) is a specialized munition that uses chemicals formulated to inflict death or harm on humans. According to the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), this can be any chemical compound intended as a ... References {{Chemical agents Chemical weapons Vomiting agents Organoarsenic compounds Pulmonary agents Phenyl compounds Nitriles Arsenic(III) compounds Substances discovered in the 191 ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Second Battle Of Ypres
During the First World War, the Second Battle of Ypres was fought from for control of the tactically important high ground to the east and south of the Flemish town of Ypres in western Belgium. The First Battle of Ypres had been fought the previous autumn. The Second Battle of Ypres was the first mass use by Germany of poison gas on the Western Front. Background The eminent German chemist Walther Nernst, who was in the army in 1914 as a volunteer driver, saw how trenches produced deadlock. He proposed to Colonel Max Bauer, the German general staff officer responsible for liaison with scientists, that they could empty the opposing trenches by a surprise attack with tear gas. Observing a field test of this idea, the chemist Fritz Haber instead proposed using heavier-than-air chlorine gas The German commander Erich von Falkenhayn agreed to try the new weapon, but intended to use it in a diversionary attack by his 4th Army. Falkenhayn wanted to use the gas to cover the withdra ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
