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| Like its predecessor phosgene, diphosgene is a choking gas (also referred to as a lung irritant) first used in World War I. Historical accounts suggest it was employed by the German military in 1916 in response to the French use of phosgene months earlier. One source also claims that diphosgene was one of the most effective gases used in shells during World War I. The toxic effects of diphosgene, not surprisingly, mirror those of phosgene, interacting with vital molecules and enzymes in the pulmonary system and causing pulmonary edema by irritating lung tissue. At sufficient concentrations, diphosgene has an odor like that described for phosgene—that is, newly mown hay or young corn. Remaining liquid at a larger range of temperatures, diphosgene also has physical properties that made it easier to fill munitions. However, once fired at targets and following the detonation of shells, diphosgene still proved to be quite volatile, making it difficult to create lethal concentrations on the battlefield. Finally, production of phosgene during World War I was easier than that of diphosgene, and the latter compound was prone to decompose following the explosion of its delivery munitions.
As is the case of phosgene and some other World War I-era compounds, it is unlikely that diphosgene will pose a significant modern military threat. Some have suggested that diphosgene liberates chloroform upon contact with protective filters, and thus, perhaps defeated early gas masks. The Chemical Weapons Convention lists diphosgene (as it does phosgene) as a Schedule 3 compound.
Current literature estimates the median lethal concentration of phosgene in humans is approximately 3.2 grams-min/m3, and the median incapacitating dose (ICt50) is also the same as phosgene at 1.6 grams-min/m3. However, in World War I, Fritz Haber, the father of modern chemical warfare, ranked diphosgene at an index of 500 in terms of toxicity compared to 450 for phosgene.
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