Green Cross is a World War I

World War I

World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...

 chemical warfare

Chemical warfare

Chemical warfare involves using the toxic properties of chemical substances as weapons. This type of warfare is distinct from Nuclear warfare and Biological warfare, which together make up NBC, the military acronym for Nuclear, Biological, and Chemical...

 pulmonary agent

Pulmonary agent

A pulmonary agent is a chemical weapon agent designed to impede a victim's ability to breathe. They operate by causing a build-up of fluids in the lungs which then leads to...

 consisting of chloropicrin

Chloropicrin

Chloropicrin, also known as PS, is a chemical compound with the structural formula Cl3CNO2. This colourless highly toxic liquid was once used in chemical warfare and is currently used as a fumigant and nematocide.-History:...

 (PS, Aquinite, Klop), phosgene

Phosgene

Phosgene is the chemical compound with the formula COCl2. This colorless gas gained infamy as a chemical weapon during World War I. It is also a valued industrial reagent and building block in synthesis of pharmaceuticals and other organic compounds. In low concentrations, its odor resembles...

 (CG, Collongite) and/or trichloromethyl chloroformate (Surpalite, Perstoff).

Green Cross is also a generic World War I German marking for artillery shells with pulmonary agents (chemical payload affecting the lungs). http://www.cbwinfo.com/History/WWI.html The tip of the grenade with the fuse end painted green and a green cross at the bottom of the cartridge.

Other Green Cross mixtures were based on phosgene

Phosgene

Phosgene is the chemical compound with the formula COCl2. This colorless gas gained infamy as a chemical weapon during World War I. It is also a valued industrial reagent and building block in synthesis of pharmaceuticals and other organic compounds. In low concentrations, its odor resembles...

 and/or diphosgene

Diphosgene

Diphosgene is a chemical compound with the formula ClCO2CCl3. This colorless liquid is a valuable reagent in the synthesis of organic compounds...

.

The first use of Green Cross was on May 31 1915 in a German offensive in Ypres

Ypres

Ypres is a Belgian municipality located in the Flemish province of West Flanders. The municipality comprises the city of Ypres and the villages of Boezinge, Brielen, Dikkebus, Elverdinge, Hollebeke, Sint-Jan, Vlamertinge, Voormezele, Zillebeke, and Zuidschote...

. The mixture was chlorine-phosgene, with 95% and 5%.

See also

• Blue Cross (chemical warfare)
  Blue Cross (chemical warfare)
  Blue Cross is a World War I chemical warfare agent consisting of diphenylchloroarsine , diphenylcyanoarsine , ethyldichloroarsine , and/or methyldichloroarsine...
  
  
• Yellow Cross (chemical warfare)
  Yellow Cross (chemical warfare)
  Yellow Cross is a World War I chemical warfare agent usually based on sulfur mustard .The original Gelbkreuz was a composition of 80-90% of sulfur mustard and 10-20% of tetrachloromethane or chlorobenzene as a solvent which lowered its viscosity and acted as an antifreeze, or, alternatively, 80%...
  
  
• White Cross (chemical warfare)
  White Cross (chemical warfare)
  White Cross is a World War I chemical warfare agent consisting of one or more lachrymatory agents: bromoacetone , bromobenzyl cyanide , bromomethyl ethyl ketone , chloroacetone , ethyl bromoacetate, and/or xylyl bromide.During World war I, White Cross was also a generic code name used by the...