Definitions
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.
- noun A colorless gas, COCl2, having an odor similar to mown or moldy hay, used as a poison gas and in making resins, plastics, and dyes.
from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.
- adjective (Old Chem.) Producing, or produced by, the action of light; -- used specifically to designate a gas also called
carbonyl chloride . Seecarbonyl . - noun (Chem.) A reactive chemical substance (COCl2), also called
carbonyl choride , used in synthesis of numerous substances. In the First Worlds War it was also used as a poisonous gas in combat.
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- noun inorganic chemistry Alternative form of
carbonyl chloride .
from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
- noun a colorless poisonous gas that smells like new-mown hay; used in chemical warfare
Etymologies
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License
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Examples
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For example, a chemical known as phosgene, used as a nerve gas during World War I, has long been used to make bisphenol A, the chemical building block of polycarbonate plastics.
Elizabeth Grossman: Fat, Stupid, Impotent & Dangerous: The Future Without Green Chemistry 2009
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And it seems that the high likelihood is that the two things are, indeed, a canister, a small thing about the size of a soda can of phosgene, which is a chemical warfare agent.
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A poison gas called phosgene was taken from Iraq 11 years ago.
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And it seems that the high likelihood is that the two things are, indeed, a canister -- a small thing about the size of a soda can of phosgene, which is a chemical warfare agent.
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This was a nerve gas known as phosgene and it is lethal.
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But one of the things -- it ` s very, very -- you ` ve got to be very, very careful because it can turn into some other -- other, as I call it ethyl-methyl bad stuff, you know, such as phosgene, if it ` s allowed to sit in the sunlight for too long, if it ` s not cool.
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Choking agents, such as phosgene and diphosgene, block respiration by damaging the breathing mechanism, which can be fatal.
FM 100-61 Chptr 14 NBC and Smoke Support United States Army 1998
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Choking agents, such as phosgene and diphosgene, block respiration by damaging the breathing mechanism, which can be fatal.
FM 100-61 Chptr 14 NBC and Smoke Support United States Army 1998
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-- On the other hand, there are the relatively volatile substances, such as phosgene, which can be used immediately before an attack.
The riddle of the Rhine, chemical strategy in peace and war ... 1921
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No really harmful persistent compound appeared before the advent of mustard gas, and the dangerous non-persistent types, such as phosgene, could not have been used with great success, owing to the fact that very considerable quantities would have been required to produce any serious effect.
The riddle of the Rhine, chemical strategy in peace and war ... 1921
michaelt42 commented on the word phosgene
There is sometimes a problem in the reporting of accidents that involve phosgene, an extremely reactive chemical reagent that if not properly contained may cause fires and environmental poisoning. A report of an incident in Cornwall this morning set two uses of phosgene in apposition: poison gas and reagent used in the pharmaceutical industry. Such juxtapositions unfortunately invite negative inferences, and people may wonder why a poison gas is being used to manufacture drugs, whereas it would be more useful for their being made aware of the fact that a reagent used in the manufacture of pharmaceuticals can if accidentally released be hazardous, so toxic in fact that it is used as a chemical warfare agent. There is no chemical connection between phosphorus, a non-metallic element, and phosgene, the chemical compound, carbonyl dichloride. The first part of each word, phos-, is merely indicative of the production of light (Greek phos) in certain circumstances.
December 6, 2011