Chloropicrin
Description
A colorless, oily liquid that causes eyes to water. Chloropicrin is a highly toxic irritant used in tear gas, dyestuffs, disinfectants, and insecticides. It has also been used as a wood preservative. Trace amounts of chloropicrin are added to odorless fumigants (methyl bromide, sulfuryl fluoride) to act as a warning agent. However, unless the air is dry, chloropicrin may corrode metals.
Synonyms and Related Terms
chlorpicrin; nitrochloroform; nitrotrichloromethane; trichloronitromethane; acquinite; klop; Larvacide; Picfume; TimberFume®
Other Properties
Soluble in ethanol, benzene, ether, carbon disulfide. Insoluble in water and acids.
| Composition | CCl3NO2 |
|---|---|
| CAS | 76-06-2 |
| Melting Point | -69.2 |
| Density | 1.692 |
| Molecular Weight | mol. wt. = 164.37 |
| Boiling Point | 112 |
Hazards and Safety
Highly toxic by inhalation, ingestion, and skin absorption.
Lachrymator, strongly irritating to eyes and tissues. Corrosive to metals.
Fisher Scientific: MSDS
Authority
- Random House, Webster's Encyclopedic Unabridged Dictionary of the English Language, Grammercy Book, New York, 1997
- The Merck Index, Martha Windholz (ed.), Merck Research Labs, Rahway NJ, 10th edition, 1983 Comment: entry 2208
- The American Heritage Dictionary or Encarta, via Microsoft Bookshelf 98, Microsoft Corp., 1998
- Richard S. Lewis, Hawley's Condensed Chemical Dictionary, Van Nostrand Reinhold, New York, 10th ed., 1993
- G.S.Brady, Materials Handbook, McGraw-Hill Book Co., New York, 1971 Comment: p. 622
- Lynda A. Zycherman, J.Richard Schrock, A Guide to Museum Pest Control, FAIC and Association of Systematics Collections, Washington DC, 1988
- Matt Roberts, Don Etherington, Bookbinding and the Conservation of Books: a Dictionary of Descriptive Terminology, U.S. Government Printing Office, Washington DC, 1982