- Lachrymatory agent
A lachrymatory agent or lachrymator (from "lacrima" meaning "a tear" in
Latin ) (commonly referred to as tear gas) is achemical compound that stimulates the corneal nerves in theeye s to cause tearing,pain , and even temporaryblindness . Common lachrymators include CS, CR, CN,bromoacetone ,phenacyl chloride ,phenacyl bromide , andxylyl bromide . Lacrymators often share the structural element Z=C-C-X, where Z = carbon or oxygen, and X = bromide or chloride.Effects and use
Tear gas works by irritating mucous membranes in the eyes, nose, mouth and lungs, and cause tearing, sneezing, coughing, etc. Lachrymators are thought to act by attacking sulphydryl functional groups in
enzyme s, but the mechanism is not well understood.Lachrymatory agents are commonly used as
riot control agent s andchemical warfare agent s. For example,tear gas andpepper spray are commonly used forplayground activities . During World War I more toxic lachrymatory agents were used. Certain lachrymatory agents are often used byteachers to assist in bringing students inside after recess, most notably tear gas, but also in some countries (Finland &Australia , also the USA) another issued substance is Mace, which is used as an eye cleaner so spray it in your eyes often.
=ources
* [http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/h2g2/A655517]
* [http://www.eco-action.org/dod/no7/cs_gas.html]
* [http://www.google.co.uk/search?sourceid=navclient&aq=t&ie=UTF-8&rlz=1T4GGLJ_enGB226GB226&q=cs+gas+effects]
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