Today, sulfur-based and nitrogen-based mustard agents are regulated under Schedule 1 of the 1993 Chemical Weapons Convention, as substances with few uses other than in chemical warfare (though since then, mustard gas has been found to be useful in cancer chemotherapy ). As a chemical weapon, mustard gas was first used in World War I, and has been used in several armed conflicts since then, including the Iran–Iraq War, resulting in more than 100,000 casualties. Sulfur mustard is a type of chemical warfare agent. The typical mustard gas is the organosulfur compound bis(2-chloroethyl) sulfide. Mustard gases form blisters on exposed skin and in the lungs, often resulting in prolonged illness ending in death. When pure, they are colorless, but when used in impure forms, such as in warfare, they are usually yellow-brown. Sulfur mustards are viscous liquids at room temperature and have an odor resembling mustard plants, garlic, or horseradish, hence the name. The name mustard gas is technically incorrect: the substances, when dispersed, are often not gases but a fine mist of liquid droplets. Also known as mustard agents, this family of compounds are infamous cytotoxins and blister agents with a long history of use as chemical weapons. Such compounds are potent alkylating agents, which can interfere with several biological processes. In the wider sense, compounds with the substituent S(CH 2CH 2X) 2 and N(CH 2CH 2X) 3 are known as sulfur mustards and nitrogen mustards, respectively, where X = Cl or Br. Mustard gas or sulfur mustard is any of several chemical compounds that contain the chemical structure S(CH 2CH 2Cl) 2.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |