Mustard gas

Mustard gas is a blister agent, chiefly sulfur mustard, that damages skin, eyes, and lungs. It was used as a chemical weapon, especially during World War I.

Sulfur mustard: An organosulfur compound and powerful vesicant commonly called mustard gas. It is the principal chemical responsible for mustard gas injuries.
Chemical burn: Tissue injury caused by contact with a corrosive or toxic chemical. Mustard exposure can produce painful skin burns and blistering.
César-Mansuète Despretz: A French chemist who reported synthesizing sulfur mustard in 1822. His work marks an early synthesis of the compound later used as a weapon.
Chlorine: A greenish-yellow, reactive chemical element that is toxic when inhaled at high concentrations. Unlike mustard, chlorine primarily causes immediate irritation and choking injury.
Alkylating agent: A substance that transfers an alkyl group to molecules such as DNA or proteins. Sulfur mustard damages cells by alkylating DNA and other biological molecules.
Corneal injury: Damage to the transparent front surface of the eye. Mustard vapor can injure the cornea and impair vision.
Frederick Guthrie: A British chemist who described sulfur mustard's blistering effects in 1860. His observations helped establish the compound's characteristic toxicity.
Phosgene: A toxic gas that damages the lungs and can cause delayed pulmonary edema. Both can injure the lungs, but phosgene is chiefly a choking agent rather than a vesicant.
DNA damage: A structural or chemical alteration to DNA that can disrupt replication, gene expression, or cell survival. Mustard-induced alkylation produces lesions that impair cell function and can cause cell death.
Acute respiratory distress syndrome: A severe form of lung failure involving widespread inflammation and fluid in the air sacs. Severe mustard inhalation can cause life-threatening respiratory injury.

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