Cacodyl cyanide

Cacodyl cyanide is an organoarsenic compound discovered by Robert Bunsen in the 1840s.[1][2][3]

Cacodyl cyanide
Names
Preferred IUPAC name
Dimethylarsinous cyanide
Other names
Cyanodimethylarsine
Identifiers
3D model (JSmol)
ChemSpider
RTECS number
  • CH2100000
  • InChI=1S/C3H6AsN/c1-4(2)3-5/h1-2H3
    Key: BXASHBJZPLFFPH-UHFFFAOYSA-N
  • C[As](C)C#N
Properties
C3H6AsN
Molar mass 131.010 g·mol−1
Except where otherwise noted, data are given for materials in their standard state (at 25 °C [77 °F], 100 kPa).
Infobox references

Properties

Cacodyl cyanide is highly toxic, producing symptoms of both cyanide and arsenic poisoning. Bunsen described it[4] in the following terms;

This substance is extraordinarily poisonous, and for this reason its preparation and purification can only be carried on in the open air; indeed, under these circumstances, it is necessary for the operator to breathe through a long open tube so as to insure the inspiration of air free from impregnation with any trace of the vapor of this very volatile compound. If only a few grains of this substance be allowed to evaporate in a room at the ordinary temperature, the effect upon any one inspiring the air is that of sudden giddiness and insensibility, amounting to complete unconsciousness.

It is also explosive, and Bunsen himself was severely injured in the course of his experiments with cacodyl cyanide. The Russian military reportedly investigated cacodyl cyanide as a potential chemical weapon, but while it was found to be a potent lachrymatory agent, it was ultimately considered unsuitable for military use.[5][6][7]

See also

References
  1. Lee FA, Thing C, Dehn WM (1923). "Some cacodyl derivatives". J. Am. Chem. Soc. 45 (12): 2996–2998. doi:10.1021/ja01665a027.
  2. Morgan GT, Yarsley VE (1926). "Dimethylstibine cyanide, an analogue of cacodyl cyanide". Proc. R. Soc. Lond. A. 110 (755): 534–537. Bibcode:1926RSPSA.110..534M. doi:10.1098/rspa.1926.0031.
  3. Seyferth D (2001). "Cadet's Fuming Arsenical Liquid and the Cacodyl Compounds of Bunsen". Organometallics. 20 (8): 1488–1498. doi:10.1021/om0101947.
  4. "Scientific Worthies" (PDF). 28 April 1881. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2021-12-12.
  5. Curry R (11 May 2015). "Cacodyl Cyanide Chemistry Catastrophe - Professor Bunsen's Aphasia, Black Tongue, Blind Eye & Nearly Fatal Poisoning". Lateral Science.
  6. Freemantle M (26 January 2019). "Cacodyl". chemistryworld.com.
  7. Hickey LJ, Bryant SM (2016). "Chemical Warfare: A Brief History and Summary of Current Threats and Initial Management.". In Lim C (ed.). Surgery During Natural Disasters, Combat, Terrorist Attacks, and Crisis Situations. Springer. pp. 191–201. doi:10.1007/978-3-319-23718-3_18. ISBN 978-3-319-23717-6.
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