20 Examples of Toxic Gases - encyclopedia

Content

Examples of toxic gases

Thetoxic gases They are substances of a fickle, ethereal nature, of weak molecular interaction and high physical expansion, whose interaction with the human body is irritating, harmful or lethal. Many are the product of chemical reactions primary, voluntary or not, and are usually also flammable, oxidizers or corrosive, so its handling requires special care.

According to their effect on the body and their use, they can be classified as: asphyxiating, irritant, mixed, domestic, natural and warlike.

See also: Examples of Corrosive Substances

Examples of toxic gases

Carbon monoxide (CO). One of the most toxic forms of oxidation carbon, is a colorless gas capable of causing death when inhaled in large quantities. It is a common gas in the industrial world: it is the result of combustion engines and the burning of hydrocarbons and other organic substances.
Sulfur dioxide (SO₂). Irritating gas, colorless, with a very particular odor and soluble in water, becoming acid: this is the reaction that takes place in polluted atmospheres and produces acid rain. It is usually released as a product of industrial combustion, despite the fact that in contact with the respiratory system it causes severe irritation and bronchitis.
Mustard gas. A family of highly irritating chemicals used as weapons of war (for the first time in 1915, in World War I). It can be treated in two different ways: nitrogen mustards or sulfur mustards. Contact with them causes blisters and ulcerations on the skin or mucous membranes and eventually leads to agonizing asphyxia.
Pepper spray. Also known as tear gas, it is capable of producing moderate and painful irritation of the ocular and respiratory mucosa, and even temporary blindness. It is used as a personal defense mechanism or in the dispersal of demonstrations.
Lewisite. A highly toxic synthetic chemical was developed by the American war industry during the First and Second World Wars. When inhaled, it produces painful burning, coughing, vomiting, runny nose and pulmonary edema.
Ozone. This gas is found naturally in the atmosphere, shielding us from solar radiation. It is rare in the everyday environment. Exposure to ozone generates irritation in the respiratory system and inflammatory bronchial responses. In high concentrations it can cause cyanosis, extreme fatigue and kidney failure.
Methane (CH₄). The simplest alkane hydrocarbon that exists, it is a combustible and potentially asphyxiating gas, colorless, odorless, insoluble in water. In high concentrations it can suffocate by displacing oxygen from the environment.
Butane (C₄H₁₀). Another highly flammable and volatile hydrocarbon, which is usually handled in a domestic way and with the addition of odorant markers, in order to detect its leaks, since it is odorless. It is potentially suffocating. It produces drowsiness, hallucinations and loss of consciousness when inhaled.
Fire fumes. Known as mixed gases, as they contain various combinations of irritating and suffocating gases, depending on the nature of the materials consumed in the fire. It is the main cause of death in fires, given its wide effects on the body: suffocation, severe irritation, necrosis, cyanosis, etc.
Cyanide(CN-). It is one of the most toxic substances known and with the most immediate lethal effect. In its gaseous form, it has a characteristic odor (similar to chestnuts), whose detection margin is very close to lethal. Its immediate effects inhibit cellular respiration, and often lead to cardiorespiratory arrest.
Diatomic chlorine (Cl₂). Known as dichloro, it is a yellow-green gas, with a strong and unpleasant odor and very high toxicity. It was used as a weapon of war in World War I, due to its pneumotoxic effects in medium concentrations. It is used in the chemical and materials industry, as well as in certain household solvents.
Nitrogen oxidesI(N₂OR). Also called laughing gas, it is colorless, sweet-smelling, and slightly toxic. It is neither flammable nor explosive, and is often used for pharmaceutical and anesthetic purposes.
Phosphogen (COCl₂). Poisonous gas, used as a pesticide and input in the plastics industry, can be colorless or take the form of a white or yellow cloud. It is not found naturally anywhere, it is not flammable, and it has an unpleasant odor. It is highly irritating and suffocating.
Ammonia (NH₃). Also called ammonium gas, it is colorless and has a very unpleasant and characteristic odor. It is widely used in various human industries, despite being caustic and highly polluting. The human body is able to process it through the Urea Cycle and expel it in the urine, but in reaction with other compounds it is highly toxic and flammable.
Helium (H). Monatomic gas exhibiting many of the noble gas propertiesIt is colorless and odorless, very abundant because the stellar reactions produce it from hydrogen. When inhaled, it modifies the speed of sound propagation, which results in high-pitched and rapid voices, but too much concentration can replace oxygen and cause suffocation. It is not toxic per se.
Argon (Ar). One of the noble gases, colorless and inert, non-reactive and poorly conductive of heat, widely used in the electrical industry. It is a simple asphyxiant, whose toxicity depends on the decrease in oxygen in the environment, so it requires high concentrations for it.
Formaldehyde (CH₂OR). Colorless gas with a very pungent odor, from which formaldehyde is manufactured, to preserve biological specimens. It is a known carcinogen and irritant to the respiratory system.
Fluorine (F). The most electronegative and reactive of all the elements, it is a pale yellow gas with a pungent odor, whose ability to bind zinc and iodine makes it highly toxic, capable of interrupting the normal functioning of the learning, memory, hormonal, and bone systems. and energetics of the human body.
Acrolein(C₃H₄OR). Although it is a liquid in its natural state, it is highly flammable and evaporates rapidly when heated, producing a gas that irritates the respiratory system, the toxic effects of which have not been well studied, but point to moderate lung damage.
Carbon dioxide (CO₂). Natural result of breathing and many combustion processes, is capable of asphyxiating by displacement of oxygen molecules, being heavier than air and very little flammable. It is odorless and colorless.