Fluoroacetic acid

Fluoroacetic acid

Fluoroacetic acid, whose name in the official IUPAC nomenclature is: fluoroethanoic acid, is an organic chemical compound with the chemical formula CH2FCOOH.
Fluoroacetic acid has a brute or molecular formula: C2H3FO2 and is a carboxylic acid containing a fluorine atom instead of a hydrogen atom in acetic acid.
Under normal conditions it is a colorless and odorless crystalline solid, easily soluble in water.
The fluoroacetate anion, derived from the acid, occurs naturally in at least 40 plants in Australia, Brazil and Africa. It was first identified by Marais in 1944 in the poisonous leaves of the gifblaar (Dichapetalum cymosum), a southern African shrub.
Furthermore, as early as 1904, settlers in Sierra Leone used extracts of Chailletia toxicaria, which contains fluoroacetic acid or its salts, to poison mice. Finally, very small amounts of fluoroacetate have been found in many plants, including tea.
Fluoroacetic acid is a very dangerous and toxic compound. It is known to be one of the most potent poisons among organic compounds. Some of its properties include:
– 1. Toxicity: Fluoroacetic acid is highly poisonous to humans and animals. It can be lethal even at very low doses.
– 2. Hygiene and safety: Due to its extreme toxicity, fluoroacetic acid is handled with extreme caution and only by highly qualified and adequately protected personnel.
– 3. Chemical properties: It is a carboxylic acid, so it can form salts and react with bases to form the corresponding fluoroacetate salts.
– 4. Natural Sources: Fluoroacetic acid is rarely found in nature. However, it is present in some plants, such as the leaves of Dichapetalum cymosum, which is known for its toxicity to grazing animals.
– 5. Uses: Due to its extreme toxicity, fluoroacetic acid has no significant industrial or commercial uses.
Fluoroacetic acid is not commercially available as such. It is sold in the form of its sodium salt, sodium fluoroacetate, which was used for the control of rodents and other mammals. Given the extreme toxicity, however, its use has been prohibited in many states.
Fluoroacetic acid was first synthesized by Frédéric Swarts in 1896. It can be prepared from sodium fluoroacetate by distillation from sulfuric acid. Alternatively, methyl iodoacetate is first reacted with silver fluoride (or methyl chloroacetate with potassium fluoride) and then the ester is hydrolyzed.
The lethal dose for humans is about 5 mg/kg. In rodents, such as mice or rats, the dose is significantly lower, 0.1 mg/kg. For fish and aquatic invertebrates, on the other hand, the compound is substantially non-toxic.

Warning: The information provided is not medical advice and may not be accurate. The contents are for illustrative purposes only and do not replace medical advice.