Diisopropyl Fluorophosphate

Diisopropyl Fluorophosphate 

(iso-C₃H₇O)₂P(O)F, a colorless liquid with a slight odor. Melting point, −82°C; boiling point, 67.5°C (12 mm Hg); density, 1.0682 g/cm³ (20°C); and refractive index n_D²⁰, 1.3832. Diisopropyl fluorophosphate is slightly soluble in water (1.5 percent) but is readily soluble in organic solvents. Water hydrolyzes it very slowly (reaction of an autocatalytic nature), but it reacts vigorously with alkalis and aqueous solutions of ammonia and amines. It is prepared by the action of potassium fluoride on diisopropyl chlorophosphate. Diisopropyl fluorophosphate causes convulsions, paralysis, and miosis (contraction of the pupil of the eye). A concentration of approximately 0.08 mg// will produce strong miosis. Diisopropyl fluoro-phosphate is used in the physiological and pharmacological studies of the nervous system and as an inhibitor of numerous enzymes in enzymological research.

REFERENCES

Sartori, M. “Novoe v khimii boevykh otravliaiushchikh veshchestv.” Uspekhi khimii, 1954, vol. 23, issue 1, p. 62.
O’Brien, R. Toksichnye efiry kislot fosfora. Moscow, 1964. (Translated from English.)