adamsite

[ ad-uhm-zahyt ]

noun

, Chemistry, Military.

1. a yellow irritant smoke, containing a poisonous form of arsenic and used as a harassing agent.

adamsite

/ ˈædəmˌzaɪt /

noun

1. a yellow poisonous crystalline solid that readily sublimes; diphenylaminechlorarsine. It is used in chemical warfare as a vomiting agent. Formula: C 6 H 4 AsClNHC 6 H 4 ; relative density: 1.65; melting pt: 195°C; boiling pt: 410°C Also calledphenarsazine chloride

Word History and Origins

Origin of adamsite¹

1920–25; named after R. Adams; -ite ¹

Word History and Origins

Origin of adamsite¹

C20: named after Roger Adams (1899–1971), American chemist

Example Sentences

And in Venezuelan riots in 2013, local police allegedly used old stocks of adamsite that were perhaps left over from US military aid delivered in the 1960s.

From Nature