Chapter 6 of 37 · 1729 words · ~9 min read

Chapter X

. Because of the early recognized value of this compound, very careful secrecy was maintained as to all details of the method of preparation and its properties. As a result, strange stories were circulated about its deadly powers. Characteristic of these was the story that appeared in the _New York Times_ early in 1919. Now that the English have published the chemical and pharmacological properties, we can say that, although Lewisite was never proven on the battle field, laboratory tests indicate that we have here a very powerful agent. Not only is it a vesicant of about the same order of mustard gas, but the arsenical penetrates the skin of an animal, and three drops, placed on the abdomen of a mouse, are sufficient to kill within two to three hours. It is also a powerful respiratory irritant and causes violent sneezing. Its possible use in aeroplane bombs has led General Fries to apply the term “The Dew of Death” to its use in this way.

CAMOUFLAGE GASES

Considerable effort was spent on the question of camouflage gases. This involved two lines of research:

(1) To prevent the recognition of a gas when actually present on the field, by masking its odor.

TABLE I CHEMICAL WARFARE GASES

TABLE I--_Continued_

---------------------------+-----------+------------+--------------- Chemical |Belligerent| Effect |Means of | | | Projection ---------------------------+-----------+------------+--------------- | | | MIXTURES[4] | | | Bromoacetone (80%) and | | | Chloroacetone (20%) | French |Lachrymatory|Artillery shell | |Lethal | | | | Chlorine (50%) and | British |Lethal |Cylinders Phosgene (50%) | German | | | | | Chlorine (70%) and | British |Lethal |Cylinders Chloropicrin (30%) | |Lachrymatory| | | | Chloropicrin (65%) and | British |Lethal |Cylinders Hydrogen sulfide (35%) | |Lachrymatory| | | | Chloropicrin (80%) and | British |Lethal |Artillery shell Stannic chloride (20%) | French |Lachrymatory|Trench mortar | | | bombs | American |Irritant |Projectors Chloropicrin (75%) and | British |Lethal |Artillery shell Phosgene (25%) | |Lachrymatory|Trench mortar | | | bombs, | | | projectors Dichloroethyl sulfide (80%)| German |Vesicant |Artillery shell and | French |Lethal | Chlorobenzene (20%) | British | | | American | | Ethyl carbazol (50%) and | German |Sternutatory|Artillery shell Diphenylcyanoarsine (50%) | |Lethal | | | | Ethyldichloroarsine (80%) | German |Lethal |Artillery shell and | |Lachrymatory| Dichloromethylether (20%) | | | | | | Ethyliodoacetate (75%) and | British |Lachrymatory|Artillery shell, Alcohol (25%) | | | 4-in. Stokes’ | | | mortars, | | | hand grenades | | | Hydrocyanic acid (55%) | British |Lethal |Artillery shell Chloroform (25%) and | | | Arsenious chloride (20%) | | | | | | Hydrocyanic acid (50%), | French |Lethal |Artillery shell Arsenious chloride (30%), | | | Stannic chloride (15%) and | | | Chloroform (5%) | | | | | | Phosgene (50%) and | British |Lethal |Artillery shell Arsenious chloride (50%) | | | | | | Dichloroethyl sulfide (80%)| German |Vesicant |Artillery shell and | French |Lethal | Carbon tetrachloride (20%) | British | | | American | | | | | Phosgene (60%) and | British |Lethal |Artillery shell Stannic chloride (40%) | French |Irritant | | | | Methyl sulfate (75%) and | French |Lachrymatory|Artillery shell Chloromethyl sulfate (25%) | |Irritant | ---------------------------+-----------+------------+---------------

[Footnote 4: In the mixtures the percentages indicate proportions by weight.]

(2) To simulate the presence of a toxic gas. This may be done either by using a substance whose odor in the field strongly suggests that of the gas in question, or by so thoroughly associating a totally different odor with a particular “gas” in normal use that, when used alone, it still seems to imply the presence of that gas. This use of imitation gas would thus be of service in economizing the use of actual “gas” or in the preparation of surprise attacks.

While there was some success with this kind of “gas,” very few such attacks were really carried out, and these were in connection with projector attacks.

GASES USED

Table I gives a list of all the gases used by the various armies, the nation which used them, the effect produced and the means of projection used.

Table II gives the properties of the more important war cases (compiled by Major R. E. Wilson, C. W. S.).

The gases used by the Germans may also be classified by the names of the shell in which they were used. Table III gives such a classification.

MARKINGS FOR AMERICAN SHELL

In selecting markings for American chemical shell, red bands were used to denote persistency, white bands to denote non-persistency and lethal properties, yellow bands to denote smoke, and purple bands to denote incendiary action. The number of bands indicates the relative strength of the property indicated; thus, three red bands denote a gas more persistent than one red band.

The following shell markings were actually used:

1 White Diphenylchloroarsine 2 White Phosgene 1 White, 1 red Chloropicrin 1 White, 1 red, 1 white 75% Chloropicrin, 25% Phosgene 1 White, 1 red, 1 yellow 80% Chloropicrin, 20% Stannic Chloride 1 Red Bromoacetone 2 Red Bromobenzylcyanide 3 Red Mustard Gas 1 Yellow White Phosphorus 2 Yellow Titanium Tetrachloride

TABLE II

PHYSICAL CONSTANTS OF IMPORTANT WAR GASES ----------------------+---------------+-----------+---------- | | | Liquid | | | Density Name of Gas | Formula | Molecular | at 20° C. | | Weight | under | | | Own | | | Pressure ----------------------+---------------+-----------+---------- Bromoacetone | C₃H₅BrO | 136.98 | 1.7(?) Carbon monoxide | CO | 28.00 | (Gas) Cyanogen bromide | BrCN | 106.02 | 2.01 Cyanogen chloride | ClCN | 61.56 | 1.186 Chlorine | Cl₂ | 70.92 | 1.408 Chloropicrin | Cl₃C(NO₂) | 164.39 | 1.654 Dichloroethyl sulfide | (CH₃CHCl₂)S | 169.06 | 1.274 Diphenylchloroarsine | (C₆H₅)₂AsCl | 264.56 | 1.422 Hydrocyanic acid | HCN | 27.11 | .697 Phenyldichloroarsine | C₆H₅AsCl₂ | 210.96 | 1.640 Phosgene | COCl₂ | 98.92 | 1.38 Stannic chloride | SnCl₄ | 260.54 | 2.226 Superpalite | CCl₃COOCl | 197.85 | 1.65 Xylyl bromide |( CH₃)C₆H₄CH₂Br| 185.03 | 1.381 ----------------------+---------------+-----------+----------- ----------------------+---------+---------+---------- | | | | | | Vapor Name of Gas | Melting | Boiling | Pressure | point, | point, | at 20° C. | °C. | °C. | (mm. Hg) | | | ----------------------+---------+---------+---------- Bromoacetone | - 54 | 126 | 9(?) Carbon monoxide | -207 | -190 | (Gas) Cyanogen bromide | 52 | 61.3 | 89 Cyanogen chloride | - 6 | 15 | 1002 Chlorine | -101.5 | 33.6 | 5126 Chloropicrin | - 69.2 | 112 | 18.9 Dichloroethyl sulfide | 12.5 | 216 | .06 Diphenylchloroarsine | 44 | 333 | .0025 Hydrocyanic acid | - 14 | 26.1 | 603 Phenyldichloroarsine | ... | 253 | .022 Phosgene | ... | 8.2 | 1215 Stannic chloride | - 33 | 114 | 18.58 Superpalite | ... | 128 | 10.3 Xylyl bromide | - 2 | 214.5 | ... ----------------------+---------+---------+----------

TABLE III

GERMAN SHELL -----------------------+-----------------------------+------------ Name of Shell | Shell Filling | Nature of | | Effect -----------------------+-----------------------------+------------ B-shell [K₁ shell | Bromoketone (Bromo- | Lachrymator (White B or BM)] | methylethyl ketone) | | | Blue Cross | (_a_) Diphenylchloroarsine | Sternutator | (_b_) Diphenylcyanoarsine | Sternutator | (_c_) Diphenylchloroarsine, | | Ethyl carbazol | | | C-shell (Green Cross) | Superpalite | Asphyxiant (White C) | | | | D-shell (White D) | Phosgene | Lethal | | Green Cross | (_a_) Superpalite | Asphyxiant | (_b_) Phenylcarbylamine | | chloride | | | Green Cross 1 | Superpalite 65%, | Asphyxiant | Chloropicrin 35% | | | Green Cross 2 | Superpalite, | | Phosgene, | | Diphenylchloroarsine | Asphyxiant | | Green Cross 3 | Ethyldichloroarsine, | Asphyxiant (Yellow Cross 1) | Methyldibromoarsine, | | Dichloromethyl ether | | | K-shell (Yellow) | Chloromethyl | Lachrymator | chloroformate (Palite) | Asphyxiant | | T-shell | Xylyl bromide, | Lachrymator (Black or green T) | Bromo ketone | | | Yellow Cross | Mustard gas, | Vesicant | Diluent (CCl₄, C₆H₅Cl, | | C₆H₅NO₂) | | | Yellow Cross 1 | See Green Cross 3 | -----------------------+-----------------------------+------------