Chloroacetic acid is an organochloride which results from replacing one hydrogen atom of acetic acid with one chlorine atom. Chloroacetic acid is used in industrial chemical processes, for example in the production of dyes. It was used as poison gas in the First World War, as a so-called Yellow Cross agent. It is still used to treat warts today. Chloroacetic acid is a very strong acid that causes immediate damage to the skin. Exposing between 5% and 10% of the skin to a solution of 80% chloroacetic acid will lead to death.
Chloroacetic acid,industrially also known as Monochloroacetic acid (MCA or MCAA) is a white or pale yellow crystal chemical with irritant smell mainly used in manufacturing a variety of products including herbicides, pharmaceuticals, anesthetics, tranquilizers and amphoteric surfactants as one of the fine chemical intermediates.