Chloropicrin

Chloropicrin is a volatile organochlorine compound with the formula CCl₃NO₂. It is used as a soil fumigant and has also served as a toxic irritant in riot control and chemical warfare.

Chemical warfare agent: A toxic chemical used to injure, incapacitate, or kill people during warfare. Chloropicrin has been used as a chemical-warfare agent because its vapors irritate and injure exposed people.
Soil fumigation: The treatment of soil with volatile chemicals to control pests, pathogens, or weeds. Chloropicrin is applied to soil to suppress fungi, nematodes, and other agricultural pests.
John Stenhouse: A Scottish chemist known for research on organic chemistry and filtration materials. Stenhouse first prepared chloropicrin in 1848 while studying the reaction of picric acid with bleach.
Phosgene: A highly toxic gas that damages the lungs and was used as a chemical-warfare agent. Both were used in World War I, but phosgene primarily causes delayed lung injury while chloropicrin strongly irritates the eyes and airways.
Chemical pneumonitis: Inflammation of the lungs caused by inhaled chemicals or aspiration of toxic substances. Severe chloropicrin exposure can inflame lung tissue and impair breathing.
Tear gas: A group of irritant chemicals that cause tearing, pain, and temporary impairment of vision and breathing. Chloropicrin’s severe eye and respiratory irritation links it to chemicals used for riot control.
Methyl bromide: A volatile halogenated compound formerly used widely as a soil fumigant and pesticide. It shared chloropicrin’s fumigant role but has been sharply restricted because of ozone depletion.
Picric acid: A yellow crystalline nitrophenol historically used as a dye and explosive. Chloropicrin was first produced by reacting picric acid with a hypochlorite solution.
Chlorine: A reactive halogen element that forms a toxic gas and is used in water treatment and manufacturing. Chlorine was an early chemical-warfare gas; chloropicrin is a distinct carbon-containing compound with different exposure behavior.
Pulmonary edema: The accumulation of fluid in the lungs that interferes with oxygen exchange. High-level inhalation exposure can lead to life-threatening fluid accumulation in the lungs.

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