TYPE OF AGENT – Smoke

NAME (CHEMICAL) – Titanium Tetrachloride

NAME (NATO) – FM Smoke

NAME (COMMON) – Titanium tetrachloride, F-Stoff (WWI German), FM (American)

DATE OF DISCOVERY – 1880’s

MOLECULAR FORMULA – TiCL₄

MOLECULAR WEIGHT – 189.687 g/mol

PHYSICAL STATE @ 20° C. (68° F.)  – Liquid

VAPOR DENSITY (AIR = 1.0) – 6.5

FLASH POINT – Nonflammable

FREEZING/MELTING POINT – -24° C. (-11° F.)

BOILING POINT – 136.4° C. (277.5° F.)

DECOMPOSITION TEMPERATURE – 370° C. (698° F.)

LIQUID DENSITY – 1.726 g/cc

VAPOR PRESSURE (mm/Hg) – 10 mm/Hg at 17° C. (63° F.)

ODOR – Acrid, penetrating acidic odor

APPEARANCE – Colorless to light yellow

SOLUBILITY – Reacts exothermically with water

PERSISTENCY – Low, rapidly undergoes hydrolysis when exposed to moisture in the air forming dense corrosive white clouds of Titanium dioxide and Hydrochloric acid

INHALATION TOXICITY – Very irritating and toxic to lungs and mucous membranes

SKIN TOXICITY – Very irritating

EYE TOXICITY – Very irritating

RATE OF ACTION – Rapid

SYMPTOMS (PHYSIOLOGICAL ACTION) – Coughing and tightness of chest in low concentrations, may cause chemical bronchitis or pneumonia is higher concentrations or longer exposure. Liquid can cause 2^nd and 3^rd degree skin burns and permanent eye damage if unprotected

TREATMENT – Remove from contamination, wash area with hot water, general supportive treatment

PROTECTION – Goggles and face shield minimum, gas mask, rubber gloves, protective clothing

DECONTAMINATION – Absorb into dry sand or inert absorbent and place into acid-proof containers, store and dispose of as an acid

USE – Smoke-producing and screening aircraft spray tanks, artillery and mortar shells, hand grenades

      Titanium Tetrachloride is a non-flammable colorless liquid that produces heavy white smoke on contact with damp air. This characteristic made the agent popular in the production of naval smoke screens for a length of time. The smoke is made up of fine particles of Titanium Oxychloride and droplets of Hydrochloric Acid. The smoke is irritating and damaging to breath for any length of time without the protection of a gas mask. Titanium Tetrachloride can be used to produce smoke screens from grenades that are little more than a glass container. To increase the efficiency of the smoke production, Calcium Chloride solutions can be added to the makeup of the grenade. Releasing 4.25 g (0.15 oz) of Titanium Tetrachloride can produce up to 28.3 m³ (1,000 ft³) of screening smoke.