Lewisite
 |
|||
|
|||
| Names | |||
|---|---|---|---|
|
IUPAC name
2-chloroethenylarsonous dichloride
|
|||
| Other names
2-chloroethenyldichloroarsine
2-chlorovinyldichloroarsine Chlorovinylarsine dichloride Dichloro(2-chlorovinyl)arsine |
|||
| Identifiers | |||
541-25-3 
|
|||
| 3D model (Jmol) | Interactive image | ||
| ChemSpider |
4522971
|
||
| MeSH | lewisite | ||
| PubChem | 5372798 | ||
| UN number | 2810 | ||
|
|||
|
|||
| 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) | ||
| Vapor pressure | 0.58 mmHg (25°C) | ||
| Hazards | |||
| NFPA 704 | |||
|
Except where otherwise noted, data are given for materials in their standard state (at 25 °C [77 °F], 100 kPa).
|
|||
 (what is  ?) |
|||
| Infobox references | |||
Lewisite (L) is an organoarsenic compound. It was once manufactured in the U.S., Japan, and Germany for use as a chemical weapon, acting as a vesicant (blister agent) and lung irritant. Although colorless and odorless, 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.
The compound is prepared by the addition of arsenic trichloride to acetylene in the presence of a suitable catalyst:
Lewisite, like other arsenous chlorides, hydrolyses in water to form hydrochloric acid and chlorovinylarsenous oxide (a less-powerful blister agent):
This reaction is accelerated in alkaline solutions, and forms acetylene and trisodium arsenate.
Lewisite will also react with metals to form hydrogen gas. It is combustible, but not easy to ignite.
Lewisite is a suicide inhibitor of the E3 component of pyruvate dehydrogenase. As an efficient method to produce ATP, pyruvate dehydrogenase is involved in the conversion of pyruvate to Acetyl-CoA. The latter subsequently enters the TCA cycle. Peripheral nervous system pathology usually arises from Lewisite exposure as the nervous system essentially relies on glucose as its only catabolic fuel.
It can easily penetrate ordinary clothing and even latex rubber gloves; upon skin contact it causes immediate stinging, burning pain and itching that can last for 24 hours. Within minutes, a rash develops and the agent is absorbed through the skin. Large, fluid-filled blisters (similar to those caused by mustard gas exposure) develop after approximately 12 hours and cause pain for 2–3 days. These are severe chemical burns and begin with small blisters in the red areas of the skin within 2–3 hours and grow worse, encompassing the entire red area, for the ensuing 12–18 hours after initial exposure. Liquid lewisite has faster effects than lewisite vapor. Sufficient absorption can cause deadly liver necrosis.
...
Wikipedia