The Methyl Formate Group

These compounds form an important group of war gases. They were employed alone and also mixed with other war gases phosgene, chloropicrin, diphenyl-chloroarsine, etc. 

Structurally, these compounds may be considered as derivatives of methyl chloroformate  

The compounds of this group have a characteristic penetrating 

Since the war other analogous compounds have been studied, especially from the physiopathological point of view. Such are methyl cyanoformate and ethyl cyanoformate, which are powerful lachrymators but are easily decomposed by the action of water. 

Recently some fluorine derivatives have also been prepared  

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