Sulfur mustard characteristics

Vidan, A., Luria, S., Eisenkraft, A., Hourvitz, A. (2002). Ocular injuries following sulfur mustard exposure clinical characteristics and treatment. Isr. Med. Assoc. J. 4 511-8. 

Fig. 3.1 (See color plate) Dorsum of right foot about 48h after exposure to sulfur mustard vapor with characteristic blisters. (Courtesy of Professor Steen Christensen, Ronne, Denmark Anitta Lild, photographer, Aarhus, Jutland.)...

During WWII, a concentrated effort to develop ointments for protection against sulfur mustard took place at the Chemical Warfare Service, Edgewood Arsenal, Mainland. The Army produced the M-5 protective ointment, which was manufactured in 1943 and 1944. However, because of limited effectiveness, odor, and other cosmetic characteristics, the M-5 ointment was no longer issued to soldiers by the mid-1950s. 

The physical, chemical and hazardous properties of a number of highly toxic or flammable substances that were in the past or being currently used in the warfare have been discussed in detail in several chapters in this book. Some of these compounds are further discussed under specific chapters, such as. Sulfur Mustards, Nerve Gases, Dioxin and Related Compounds and Napalm. These and many other compounds are in most cases grouped together in this book based on their chemical structures along with their toxic or flammable properties. Presented below is a brief discussion on various types of chemicals weapons developed for military applications. Explosive substances have been omitted from this section. They are discussed separately in this book under topics such as Explosive Characteristics of Chemical Substances, Nitro Explosives, Oxidizers and Organic Peroxides and also under specific title compounds in various chapters. 

Another reason for the persistence of sulfur mustard is its characteristic freezing at moderate temperatures (13 °-15 °C) (Small 1984). Studies of the persistence of sulfur mustard performed at low temperatures (-1 °C) under actual field conditions in Norway show that small solid particles are formed on the snow surface. The droplets disappeared fairly rapidly, however, primarily by evaporation, and after 2 wk only 0.0001% remained (Johnsen and Blanch 1984 NMFA 1982, 1983). 

Mustard gases also react rapidly with other nucleophiles, such as those in biological molecules, which makes them particularly dangerous chemicals. Of the two steps in the mechanism of the hydrolysis of a sulfur mustard, the first is the slower and is ratedetermining. As a result, the rate of reaction is proportional to the concentration of the sulfur mustard but independent of the concentration of the external nucleophile. Thus, although this reaction has the kinetic characteristics of an Sj l reaction, it actually involves two successive Sj. 2 displacement reactions. 

This compound was first used as a chemical weapon in World War I. It was sprayed as an aerosol mixture with other chemicals and exhibited a characteristic odor similar to that of mustard plants, thus the name mustard gas. Sulfur mustard is a powerful alkylating agent. The mechanism of alkylation involves a sequence of two Sn2 reactions ... 

H sulfur mustard TCLP toxic characteristic leaching procedure... 

Some examples of blister agents are Lewisite, an organo-arsenic compound Sulfur Mustard, also known as Mustard Gas, a family of sulfur-based agents Nitrogen Mustard, a family of agents with similar characteristics to the Sulfur Mustards, but nitrogen based and Phosgene Oxime, a... 

Sulfoxides occur widely in small concentrations in plant and animal tissues, eg, aHyl vinyl sulfoxide [81898-53-5] in garlic oil and 2,2 -sulfinylbisethanol [3085-45-8] as fatty esters in the adrenal cortex (1,2). Homologous methyl sulfinyl alkyl isothiocyanates, which are represented by the formula CH3SO(CH2) NCS, where n = 3 [37791-20-1], 4 [4478-93-7], 5 [646-23-1], 8 [75272-81-0], 9 [39036-83-4], or 10 [39036-84-5], have been isolated from a number of mustard oils in which they occur as glucosides (3). Two methylsulfinyl amino acids have also been reported methionine sulfoxide [454-41-1] from cockroaches and the sulfoxide of i -methylcysteine, 3-(methylsulfinyl)alaiiine [4740-94-7]. The latter is the dominant sulfur-containing amino acid in turnips and may account in part for their characteristic odor (4). 

Most chemical agents contain specific elements in common. G and V agents all contain phosphoms and blister agents, like the mustards, contain sulfur or nitrogen. The combustion of these materials yields excited atoms that emit light characteristic of these elements. The emissions are viewed through an interference filter by a photodetector. As an alternative to a flame, low-powered, inductively coupled (or microwave) plasmas have been used as emission sources. These sources have been combined with... 

Currently, FPDs are made to detect sulfur and phosphorous compounds through specific wavelength filters, and are able to detect respective CWA compounds such as the G-agents, mustard, and certain TICs, including PH3, SO2, and HjS. Since other chemicals that do not contain these two elements do not emit these characteristic wavelengths, they do not interfere with detection. With the recent interest in detection of TICs, FPDs are of potential usefulness because various light filters can be installed to permit detection of other elements as well. 

Very striking changes in the flavor of onion, garlic, A. vineale, cabbage, mustard, and watercress have been noted to be dependent on sulfate content of the growth medium [66-69], This is expected since these plants are very dependent on sulfur-containing precursors for their characteristic flavor. Onions grown under extreme sulfate deficiency lacked typical flavor and lachrymatory potency. Both flavor and... 

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