Chemicals have been used in warefare throughout history:
431-404 BC - Ancient Greeks used S02 ( from burning sulphur and coal tar) during the Peloponnesian War, this was named Spatans- arsenic smoke.
1040 AD - a variety of chemicals used, "poisonous smoke ball" of gunpowder as used in china. Also, "faeces bomb"- powder human dung was used.
1346 - Mongols catapulted plague - infested corpses into city of Caffa.
Napoleonic Wars - HCN used in artillery shells.
Chemical warfare agents can be classed as: i) Lethal agents ii) incapacitants iii) irritants iv) herbicidesChlorine is very reactive, however can be removed easily - filtered by hankies soaked in urine! Phosgene is less reactive and difficult to detect. Diphogene was developed after world war 1, and works by breaking down to phosgene and chloroform:
CHCl3 allows phosgene to penetrate filters and is very toxic. Toxicity of phosgene due to
i) hydrolysis in lungs to HCl
ii) Reaction with -SH, -OH and -NH2 groups in the lung tissue.
The action is delayed as the lungs fill with fluid 2-24 hours after exposure (pulmonary edema).
Cause severe blistering of the skin, inflammation to the nose, throat, etc. and destrots the lungs.
Common examples are mustards:
Sulphur mustard nitrogen mustardThese are not gases but liquids at room temperature. Injuries from mustards tend to be slow to heal, and prome to infection.These symptoms due to DNA alkylation, leading to cell death.
As compounds bind very