List of Blood Agents
The information in the following table, which lists blood agents of military significance, is taken from Ledgard. The values given are on a scale from 1 to 10.
| Agent | Description | Melting / boiling point | Effectiveness as blood agent | Persistence, open area | Persistence, enclosed area | Field stability | Storage stability | Toxicity as blood agent |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hydrogen cyanide | Colorless gas or liquid, almond odor, burns with a bluish flame. | -13 / 26 °C | 10 | 2 | 9 | 10 | 8 | 10 |
| Cyanogen | Colorless gas, almond odor, burns with a pinkish flame having a blue border. | -28 / -21 °C | 9 | 2 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 9 |
| Cyanogen chloride | Colorless gas or liquid, pungent and biting odor, soluble in water and alcohol. | -6 / 14 °C | 8 | 3 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 8 |
| Cyanogen bromide | Colorless needle-shaped or cubic crystals, tending to volatize on standing, hence of limited usefulness as a weapon. | 52 / 62 °C | 9 | 5 | 8 | 5 | 6 | 8 |
| Arsine | Colorless gas, garlic-like odor, slightly soluble in water. | -117 / -62 °C | 9 | 3 | 8 | 5 | 9 | 9 |
| Vinyl arsine | Colorless liquid, irritating and bitter odor, slightly soluble in water, also acts as a blister agent. | 124 °C (boiling) | 7 | 7 | 9 | 8 | 9 | 6 |
| Phosgene | Colorless gas and slightly yellow liquid, moldy hay odor, slightly soluble in water and soluble in most solvents, also acts as a choking agent. | -118 / 8 | 10 | 6 | 9 | 5 | 8 | 6 |
Sodium cyanide and potassium cyanide, colorless crystalline compounds similar in appearance to sugar, also act as blood agents. Carbon monoxide could technically be called a blood agent because it binds with oxygen-carrying hemoglobin in the blood (see carbon monoxide poisoning), but its high volatility makes it impractical as a chemical warfare agent.
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