The Practicalities of Studying Phosgene at a Neutron Source: Safety, Collaboration, and Lessons Learned

Phosgene (carbonyl dichloride, COCl2) has a well-deserved reputation as an extremely toxic gas. However, it is widely used in industry, principally for the production of isocyanates, key intermediates in polyurethane manufacture. Comparatively little is known about the solid state of phosgene. This article describes the processes that went into enabling ca. 10 g of phosgene to be safely produced, measured by neutron powder diffraction and neutron vibrational spectroscopy, and appropriately disposed of. The factors that allowed these operations to be carried out at the ISIS Neutron and Muon Source are discussed, and the lessons learned for future work with hazardous materials are described.