Cacodyl

A mixture of dicacodyl and cacodyl oxide ((CH3)2As–O–As(CH3)2) was first prepared by Cadet by the reaction of potassium acetate with arsenic trioxide.

A subsequent reduction yields a mixture of several methylated arsenic compounds including dicacodyl.

The global reaction (mass balance) corresponding to the oxide formation is the following: A more efficient synthesis was later developed which started from the dimethyl arsine chloride and dimethyl arsine: Robert Wilhelm Bunsen coined the name kakodyl (later modified to cacodyl in English) for the dimethylarsinyl radical, (CH3)2As, from the Greek κακώδης kakōdēs ("evil-smelling") and ὕλη hylē ("matter").

[2] It was investigated by Edward Frankland and (for over six years) by Robert Bunsen and is considered the earliest organometallic compound discovered (even though arsenic is not a true metal).

[3] As this was prior to the invention of the fume hood, to avoid the unpleasant odor of the chemical Bunsen worked quickly and breathed through a long glass tube that extended to the outside of his laboratory.

Structural formula of cacodyl
Structural formula of cacodyl
Ball and stick model of cacodyl
Ball and stick model of cacodyl
Space-filling model of cacodyl
Space-filling model of cacodyl