Chemical warfare (CW) involves using the toxic properties of chemical substances as weapons. This type of warfare is distinct from nuclear warfare, biological warfare and radiological warfare, which together make up CBRN, the military acronym for chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear, all of which are considered "weapons of mass destruction" (WMDs), a term that contrasts with conventional weapons.
The compound 2-chlorobenzalmalononitrile (also called o-chlorobenzylidene malononitrile; chemical formula: C10H5ClN2), a cyanocarbon, is the defining component of the lachrymatory agent commonly referred to as CS gas, a tear gas which is used as a riot control agent, and is banned for use in warfare due to the 1925 Geneva Protocol.
The Halabja massacre took place in Iraqi Kurdistan on 16 March 1988, when thousands of Kurds were killed by a large-scale Iraqi chemical attack. A targeted attack in Halabja, it was carried out during the Anfal campaign, which was led by Iraqi military officer Ali Hassan al-Majid. Two days before the attack, the city had been captured by Iran as part of Operation Zafar 7 of the Iran–Iraq War. Following the incident, the United Nations launched an investigation and concluded that mustard gas and other unidentified nerve agents had been used against Kurdish civilians. The United States Defense Intelligence Agency initially blamed Iran for the attack, though the majority of evidence later revealed that Iraq had used the chemical weapons to bolster an ongoing military offensive against Iran, pro-Iranian Kurdish fighters, and ordinary Halabja residents.
Phenacyl chloride, also commonly known as chloroacetophenone, is a substituted acetophenone. It is a useful building block in organic chemistry. Apart from that, it has been historically used as a riot control agent, where it is designated CN. It should not be confused with cyanide, another agent used in chemical warfare, which has the chemical structure CN−. Chloroacetophenone is thermally stable, and is the only tear agent that is distillable at ambient conditions.
Cyanogen chloride is a highly toxic chemical compound with the formula CNCl. This linear, triatomic pseudohalogen is an easily condensed colorless gas. More commonly encountered in the laboratory is the related compound cyanogen bromide, a room-temperature solid that is widely used in biochemical analysis and preparation.
A blood agent is a toxic chemical agent that affects the body by being absorbed into the blood. Blood agents are fast-acting, potentially lethal poisons that typically manifest at room temperature as volatile colorless gases with a faint odor. They are either cyanide- or arsenic-based.
Tear gas, also known as a lachrymatory agent or lachrymator, sometimes colloquially known as "mace" after the early commercial self-defense spray, is a chemical weapon that stimulates the nerves of the lacrimal gland in the eye to produce tears. In addition, it can cause severe eye and respiratory pain, skin irritation, bleeding, and blindness. Common lachrymators both currently and formerly used as tear gas include pepper spray, PAVA spray (nonivamide), CS gas, CR gas, CN gas, bromoacetone, xylyl bromide, chloropicrin and Mace.
Xylyl-bromide, also known as methylbenzyl bromide or T-stoff ('substance-T'), is any member or a mixture of organic chemical compounds with the molecular formula C6H4(CH3)(CH2Br). The mixture was formerly used as a tear gas and has an odor reminiscent of lilac. All members and the mixture are colourless liquids, although commercial or older samples appear yellowish.
Diphenylchloroarsine (DA) is the organoarsenic compound with the formula (C6H5)2AsCl. It is highly toxic and was once used in chemical warfare. It is also an intermediate in the preparation of other organoarsenic compounds. The molecule consists of a pyramidal As(III) center attached to two phenyl rings and one chloride. It was also known as sneezing oil during World War I by the Allies.
White Cross (Weiẞkreuz) is a World War I chemical warfare agent consisting of one or more lachrymatory agents: bromoacetone (BA), bromobenzyl cyanide (Camite), bromomethyl ethyl ketone, chloroacetone, ethyl bromoacetate, and/or xylyl bromide.
The Hypo helmet, or British Smoke Hood, was an early British World War I gas mask, designed by Cluny Macpherson.
Chemical Agent Identification Sets (CAIS), known by several other names, were sets of glass vials or bottles that contained small amounts of chemical agents. They were employed by all branches of the United States Armed Forces from 1928-1969 for the purpose of training in detection, handling and familiarization with chemical warfare. Most CAIS were destroyed in the 1980s but the U.S. Army Chemical Materials Agency still occasionally demilitarizes CAIS that are found buried.
Ethyl iodoacetate is an organic compound with the chemical formula ICH2CO2CH2CH3. It is a derivative of ethyl acetate. Under normal conditions, the compound is a clear, light yellow to orange liquid.
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."
The Black Veil Respirator was an early British gas mask designed by John Scott Haldane and introduced in May 1915.
Phenylcarbylamine chloride is a chemical compound that was used as a chemical warfare agent. It's an oily liquid with an onion-like odor. Classified as an isocyanide dichloride, this compound is a lung irritant with lachrymatory effects.
Chloroacetophenone oxime is the oxime derivative of chloroacetophenone. It's produced by reaction of chloroacetophenone with hydroxylamine. It has powerful lachrymatory and irritant effects.
Tetrachlorodinitroethane is a chlorinated nitroalkane produced by nitration of tetrachloroethylene with dinitrogen tetroxide or fuming nitric acid. It's a powerful lachrymatory agent and pulmonary agent that is six times more toxic than chloropicrin. Tetrachlorodinitroethane may be used as a fumigant.
Bromomethyl ethyl ketone is a brominated ketone with lachrymatory effects. It was used as a chemical warfare agent in World War I. Bromomethyl ethyl ketone was developed as an alternative to bromoacetone, because acetone, the precursor to bromoacetone, was required for explosives production.
