Ultimately, the person becomes comatose and suffocates in a series of convulsive spasms. This phase is followed by twitching and jerking. As they continue to lose control of bodily functions, they may vomit, defecate and urinate. Soon after, the person will have difficulty breathing and they will experience nausea and drooling. Initial symptoms following exposure to sarin are a runny nose, tightness in the chest and constriction of the pupils. Death will usually occur as a result of asphyxia due to the inability to control the muscles involved in breathing function. Like all other nerve agents, sarin attacks the nervous system by interfering with the degradation of the neurotransmitter acetylcholine at neuromuscular junctions. Mustine (HN2), is no longer commonly in use because of excessive toxicity. Due to its use in previous studies, the nitrogen mustard called “HN2”, later known as mustine, became the first cancer chemotherapy drug to be used. Some years after World War II was over, the incident in Bari and the work of the Yale University group with nitrogen mustard converged, and this prompted a search for other similar chemical compounds. Army noted that white blood cell counts were reduced in their patients. In a parallel track, after the air raid on Bari in December 1943, the doctors of the U.S. The results of this study were not published until 1946, when they were declassified. As a part of this effort, the group investigated nitrogen mustard as a therapy for Hodgkin’s lymphoma and other types of lymphoma and leukemia, and this compound was tried out on its first human patient in December 1942. This led the American Office of Scientific Research and Development (OSRD) to finance the biology and chemistry departments at Yale University to conduct research on the use of chemical warfare during World War II.
In addition, autopsies performed on 75 soldiers who had died of mustard agent during World War I were done by researchers from the University of Pennsylvania who reported decreased counts of white blood cells. Photo of Blisters provided by: ClockworkSoulĭevelopment of the first chemotherapy drugĪs early as 1919 it was known that mustard agents supress hematopoiesis, or the formation of blood cells. Photo of Identification Poster provided by: US Army.
Blisters on a human arm created by exposure to mustard gas. US Army World War II Gas Identification Poster, ca. Mustard agents could be deployed on the battlefield by means of artillery shells, aerial bombs, rockets, or by spraying from warplanes.įigure 10.1 Use of Mustard Gas During World Wars I and II. Three classes of chemicals are monitored under this Convention, with sulfur and nitrogen mustard grouped in Schedule 1, as substances with no use other than in chemical warfare. Mustard agents are regulated under the 1993 Chemical Weapons Convention. Sulfur mustard was originally assigned the name LOST, after the scientists Wilhelm Lommel and Wilhelm Steinkopf, who developed a method of large-scale production for the Imperial German Army in 1916. When used in impure form, such as warfare agents, they are usually yellow-brown and have an odor resembling mustard plants, garlic, or horseradish, hence the name. Pure sulfur mustards are colorless, viscous liquids at room temperature.
Sulfur mustard is the prototypical substance of the sulfur-based family of cytotoxic warfare agents which have the ability to form large blisters on exposed skin and in the lungs. This includes the sulfur mustards, nitrogen mustards, and organophosphates (like Sarin Gas), represented by the compounds below: Small organic molecules that contain heteroatoms, such as nitrogen, phosphorous and sulfur, have been used to create chemical warfare agents. Compounds that contain these unique heteroatoms have been used in a variety of ways, including highly deadly and destructive ones. In this chapter, we will focus on compounds that contain nitrogen, suflur, and phosphorous. In the previous chapter, we were introduced to compounds that contain oxygen. Recall that a heteroatom is any atom other than carbon or hydrogen that is found in an organic molecule. Opening Essay – Organic Chemicals as Agents of War Opening Essay – Organic Chemicals as Agents of War Mustard Gas Development of the first chemotherapy drug Organophosphate Nerve Agents 10.1 Compounds Containing Sulfur Thiols and Disulfides Thioethers Thioesters 10.2 Compounds Containing Phosphorous 10.3 Compounds Containing Nitrogen Amines Amides 10.4 Chapter Summary 10.5 References This text is published under creative commons licensing, for referencing and adaptation, please click here.
This chapter will be available soon as a downloadable PDF file. Chapter 10 – Compounds with Sulfur, Phosphorus, and Nitrogen