Question

The molecular formula for phosgene and tear gas are ______ and ______ respectively.
a.) $SOC{l_2}$ and $CC{l_2}N{O_2}$
b.) $COC{l_2}$ and $CC{l_2}N{O_2}$
c.) $COC{l_2}$ and $CC{l_3}N{O_2}$
d.) $SOC{l_2}$ and $CC{l_3}N{O_2}$

Answer 1

Phosgene is an odorless and colorless organic chemical compound with the molecular formula $COC{l_2}$ . Chloropicrin is commonly used as tear gas and it has the molecular formula $CC{l_3}N{O_2}$

Complete step by step answer:
Phosgene is an organic chemical compound with the molecular formula $COC{l_2}$ . It has no color and in low concentrations, the odor of phosgene resembles the odor of freshly cut grass.
Phosgene is produced by the reaction of carbon monoxide with chlorine gas. For this reaction, purified carbon monoxide and chlorine are passed through porous activated carbon (Here activated carbon acts as a catalyst.
$CO + C{l_2}\xrightarrow{{}}COC{l_2}$

We have two chemical compounds that are used as tear gas one is Chlorobenzylidene Malononitrile and one is chloropicrin.
Chlorobenzylidene Malononitrile has the molecular formula ${C_{10}}{H_5}Cl{N_2}$ or $Cl{C_6}{H_4}CH = C{\left( {CN} \right)_2}$ .
Chloropicrin has the molecular formula $CC{l_3}N{O_2}$ .
In the solution, we will be focusing on chloropicrin.
Chloropicrin is formed by the reaction of chloroform (molecular formula $CHC{l_3}$ ) with concentrated nitric acid (molecular formula $HN{O_3}$ )
$CHC{l_3} + HN{O_3}\xrightarrow{{}}CC{l_3}N{O_2} + {H_2}O$

Tear gas is commonly used for riot control by police and military personnel. Tear gas is usually stored in a pressurized canister, the pressure inside the canister is so large that as soon as the lid of the canister is opened the tear gas is pushed out almost instantly.
Hence, the molecular formula of phosgene and tear gas are $SOC{l_2}$ and $CC{l_3}N{O_2}$ respectively.So, the correct answer is “Option D”.

Note: We discussed in the solution above that two compounds, i.e. Chlorobenzylidenemalononitrile and Chloropicrin can be used as tear gas. Chloropicrin was used widely in World War I and is also used in pesticides but its use as tear gas has been discouraged due to its toxicity and carcinogenicity.