The Chemical Agents and the Involved Chemical Reactions

Abstract

Chapter 3 develops a dual approach: chemical, and biological and medical mechanisms. The key parameters of the occurrence and development of a corrosive or irritant ocular chemical lesion are defined and analyzed. The molecular nature of aggressive chemical agents is approached in a detailed but didactic manner to remain comprehensible to non-chemists: acids, bases, oxidizers, reducing agents, alkylating agents, solvents… The significance of the basic type of chemical reactivity as well as the energetic levels of reactions is illuminated. From precisely calculated data, the predicted significance of the irritation or corrosion of the ocular structures is rendered possible. Numerous experimental data are enumerated and illustrated on demonstrative graphs. The whole of the original data are presented to support the theoretical concepts and allow modeling the kinetics of diffusion and penetration within the cornea. In a very concrete manner, some conclusions are clarified on the necessity of approaching the indispensable criteria for an active washing which blocks the reactive functional groups of corrosive and irritant agents to guarantee optimal efficacy of decontamination after an accidental ocular chemical splash.