An IR study of 2-chlorovinyldichloroarsine transformations in aqueous media
The interaction of 2-chlorovinyldichloroarsine (α-lewisite) (I) with usual and deuterated water was studied by IR spectroscopy (7000-350 cm−1). A comparison of the corresponding IR spectra with the spectra of I and the supposed products of its destruction (2-chlorovinylarsonous acid (II), 2-chlorovinylarsine oxide (III), and 2-chlorovinylarsonic acid (IV)) obtained for the first time showed that, under the selected experimental conditions (room temperature, 30-fold molar excess of water, time of contact between the reagents up to an hour), complete destruction of α-lewisite did not occur. After an experiment, the reaction mixture consisted of an aqueous phase and a heavier fraction containing a liquid insoluble in water with an admixture of solid particles. The basic aqueous fraction element was acid II, the primary product of the hydrolysis of the toxin, with an admixture of α-lewisite. The heavy fraction was a mixture of unreacted α-lewisite and the secondary product of the hydrolysis of the toxin, oxide III.