Lewisite

Lewisite[1]
Lewisite
Names
Preferred IUPAC name
[(E)-2-Chloroethen-1-yl]arsonous dichloride
Other names
Chlorovinylarsine dichloride
2-Chloroethenyldichloroarsine
(E)-2-Chlorovinylarsonous dichloride
(E)-2-Chlorovinyldichloroarsine
Dichloro((E)-2-chlorovinyl)arsine
Identifiers
3D model (JSmol)
ChemSpider
MeSH lewisite
UNII
UN number 2810
  • InChI=1S/C2H2AsCl3/c4-2-1-3(5)6/h1-2H/b2-1+ checkY
    Key: GIKLTQKNOXNBNY-OWOJBTEDSA-N checkY
  • InChI=1/C2H2AsCl3/c4-2-1-3(5)6/h1-2H/b2-1+
    Key: GIKLTQKNOXNBNY-OWOJBTEDBF
  • Cl[As](Cl)\C=C\Cl
Properties
C2H2AsCl3
Molar mass 207.32 g/mol
Density 1.89 g/cm3
Melting point −18 °C (0 °F; 255 K)
Boiling point 190 °C (374 °F; 463 K)
Reacts with water
Solubility Ethers, hydrocarbons, THF
Vapor pressure 0.58 mmHg (25 °C)
Hazards
Occupational safety and health (OHS/OSH):
Main hazards
 Flammable, highly toxic, corrosive, vesicant
NFPA 704 (fire diamond)
NFPA 704 four-colored diamondHealth 4: Very short exposure could cause death or major residual injury. E.g. VX gasFlammability 1: Must be pre-heated before ignition can occur. Flash point over 93 °C (200 °F). E.g. canola oilInstability 1: Normally stable, but can become unstable at elevated temperatures and pressures. E.g. calciumSpecial hazards (white): no code
4
1
1
Except where otherwise noted, data are given for materials in their standard state (at 25 °C [77 °F], 100 kPa).
checkY verify (what is checkY☒N ?)

Lewisite (L) (A-243) is an organoarsenic compound. It was once manufactured in the U.S., Japan, Germany[2] and the Soviet Union[3] for use as a chemical weapon, acting as a vesicant (blister agent) and lung irritant. Although the substance is colorless and odorless in its pure form, impure samples of lewisite are a yellow, brown, violet-black, green, or amber oily liquid with a distinctive odor that has been described as similar to geraniums.[4][5][6]

Lewisite is named after the US chemist and soldier Winford Lee Lewis (1878–1943). Apart from its use as a weapon of war, the compound is useless; a chemist from the United States Army's chemical warfare laboratories said that "no one has ever found any use for the compound".[7]

  1. ^ Lewisite I – Compound Summary, PubChem.
  2. ^ Mitchell, Jon (27 July 2013). "A drop in the ocean: the sea-dumping of chemical weapons in Okinawa" – via Japan Times Online.
  3. ^ "Russia Completes Destruction of First 10 Tons of Lewisite – Analysis – NTI". www.nti.org.
  4. ^ Cite error: The named reference nrc was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  5. ^ "CDC – The Emergency Response Safety and Health Database: Blister Agent: Lewsite (L) – NIOSH". www.cdc.gov. Retrieved 2016-01-14.
  6. ^ Goldman, Max; Dacre, Jack C. (February 14, 1989). Ware, George W. (ed.). "Reviews of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology: Continuation of Residue Reviews". Reviews of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology. 110. Springer: 75–115. doi:10.1007/978-1-4684-7092-5_2. PMID 2692088 – via Springer Link.
  7. ^ Jarman, Gordon N. (January 1, 1959). "Chemical Corps Experience in the Manufacture of Lewisite". Metal-Organic Compounds. Advances in Chemistry. Vol. 23. American Chemical Society. pp. 328–337. doi:10.1021/ba-1959-0023.ch031. ISBN 978-0-8412-0024-1.