Chemical Warfare :: essays research papers

Chemical warf atomic number 18What is Chemical WarfareTo understand chemic warfare you must rootage understand what a chemical actor is. A United Nations herald from 1969 defines chemical warfare constituents as " ... chemical substances, whether gaseous, liquid or solid, which office be employed because of their direct toxic kernels on man, animals and plants ... ". This delegacy basically that any chemical that is used to directly effect and combat injury a person, plant, or animal would be an act of chemical warfare. few commonly confused Chemical AgentsAgents much(prenominal) as napalm and phosphorus are non considered to be Chemical agents since they achieve their effect mainly by means of thermal energy. Certain types of smoke screen may be toxi stomacht in extremely high concentrations solely smoke ammunition is not classified as a chemical weapon since the poisonous effect is not the main reason for their use. Another common misconception is that biologi cal agents such as viruses or microorganisms (small pox etc.) are considered a chemical agent, but this is not the case. Effects of chemical agents and biological agents may be confusable but they different in production. Chemical agents are created and biological agents are found naturally in nature or cultured for use. various types of Chemical agentsNerve Agents Source A FOA Briefing Book on Chemical Weapons Nerve agents acquired their name because they affect the transmission of middle impulses in the nervous system. They are stable, easily spread, highly toxic and have fast effects when absorbed through the skin and respiratory track. Nerve agents can be manufactured by means of fairly simple chemical techniques. The materials are inexpensive and generally readily available. It was not until the early 1930s that German chemists discovered the effects of certain phosphorus compounds to be toxic. Two years afterwards a phosphorus compound with extremely high perniciousness w as produced for the first time. This phosphorus compound, given the name tabun, was one the first substances later referred to as nerve agents.Physical and chemical properties The most important nerve agents included in modern arsenals are h Tabun, O-ethyl dimethylamidophosphorylcyanide, This nerve agent is the easiest to manufacture. Therefore, it is more likely that developing countries start their arsenal with this nerve agent h Sarin, isopropyl methylphosphonofluoridate, a toxic substance mainly afflicting the respiratory system. h Soman, pinacolyl methylphosphonofluoridate, a moderately toxic substance which can be taken up by inhalation or skin contact. h Cyclohexyl methylphosphonofluoridate, a gas or Liquid substance with low volatility which is taken up through skin contact and inhalation of the substance