Chemical Warfare Essay -- essays research papers

Chem Warf areIt was not until the early 1930s that Germanchemists observed that organo-phosphoruscompounds could be poisonous. In 1934, DrGerhard Schrader, a chemist at IG Farben, wasgiven the task of developing a pesticide. Twoyears later a phosphorus compound withextremely high toxicity was produced for the firsttime. harmonise to contemporary regulations,discoveries with military implications had to bereported to the military authorities, which was alsodone with Schraders discovery. This phosphoruscompound, given the name tabun, was the first ofthe substances later referred to as nerve genes. Afactory for production of the new CW agent wasbuilt and a total of 12 000 tonnes of tabun wereproduced during the years 1942-1945. At the endof the war the Allies seized biggish quantities of thisnerve agent. Up to the end of the war, Schraderand his co-workers synthesized about 2 000 neworgano-phosphorus compounds, including sarin(1938). The third of the "classic" nerve agents,s oman, was first produced in 1944. These threenerve agents are known as G agents in theAmerican nomenclature. The manufacture of sarinnever started properly and up to 1945 only about0.5 tonne of this nerve agent was produced in apilot plant. Immediately after the war, researchwas mainly concentrated on studies of themechanisms of the nerve agents in order todiscover more effectual forms of protection againstthese new CW agents. The resul...