What is "cacodylic acid"

Cacodylic \Cac`o*dyl"ic\, a. (Chem.) Of, pertaining to, or derived from, cacodyl.

Cacodylic acid, a white, crystalline, deliquescent substance, (CH3)2AsO.OH, obtained by the oxidation of cacodyl, and having the properties of an exceedingly stable acid; -- also called alkargen. [1913 Webster] ||

n. (context organic compound English) dimethylarsenic acid, (CH₃)₂AsO-OH, whose derivatives, the cacodylates, were once used as herbicides

Cacodylic acid is the chemical compound with the formula (CH)AsOH. Derivatives of cacodylic acid, cacodylates, were frequently used as herbicides. For example, " Agent Blue," one of the chemicals used during the Vietnam War, is a mixture of cacodylic acid and sodium cacodylate. Sodium cacodylate is frequently used as a buffering agent in the preparation and fixation of biological samples for electron microscopy.