The Japanese made use of CN to suppress an indigenous rebellion in
Taiwan in 1930. During the
Second Sino-Japanese War, the
Imperial Japanese Army used another irritating substance,
diphenylchlorarsine against the Chinese instead. CN has largely been supplanted for military use by
CS gas. Even though CN is still supplied to
paramilitary and police forces in a small pressurized aerosol known as “
Mace” or
tear gas, CN's use is falling because
pepper spray both works and disperses more quickly than CN and is less toxic than CN. The term "Mace" came into being because it was the brand-name invented by one of the first American manufacturers of CN aerosol sprays. Subsequently, in the United States, Mace became
synonymous with tear-gas sprays in the same way that
Kleenex has become strongly associated with
facial tissues (a phenomenon known as a
genericized trademark). Like CS gas, this compound irritates the
mucous membranes (oral, nasal,
conjunctival and
tracheobronchial). Sometimes it can give rise to more generalized reactions such as
syncope, temporary loss of balance and orientation.
TRPA1 (Transient Receptor Potential-Ankyrin 1) ion channel expressed on
nociceptors (especially
trigeminal) has been implicated as the site of action for CN, in vivo and in vitro. ==References==