This document summarizes a presentation on chemical warfare given by Sajad Ahmad Sheergugri to the Department of Chemistry at the University of Kashmir. It defines chemical warfare and the different types of chemical weapons, including nerve agents like Sarin and VX, blister agents like Lewisite and mustard gas, blood agents, choking agents like phosgene, and incapacitating agents like LSD. It discusses the history of chemical weapons and modern uses by countries and terrorist groups. It also covers protection against chemical attacks and the role of the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons.

1. UNIVERSITY OF KASHMIR
DEPARTMENT OF CHEMISTRY
PRESENTATION ON CHEMICAL WARFARE..
SUPERVIOSER: DR.ALTAF HUSSAIN PANDIT.
sajad ahmad sheergugri
R0ll no.16062120033
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2. Chemical warfare
• Intentional application for hostile purposes of toxic
substances (or chemical weapons ) against humans and
their environment.
• CHEMICAL WEAPONS: these are the specialized munition
that uses chemicals formulated to inflict death or harm on
humans.
• The term chemical weapon may also be applied to any toxic
chemical or its precursor that can cause death, injury,
temporary incapacitation or sensory irritation through its
chemical action.
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3. TYPES OF CHEMICAL WEAPONS
• Nerve agents
• Blister agents
• Blood agents
• Chocking agents
• Incapacitating agents
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4. .
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5. Nerve Agents
• Nerve agents attack the bodies nervous system.
• Nerve agents cause breathing difficulties, convulsions,
paralysis, and death.
• Nerve agents can be inhaled or absorbed through the skin.
• Symptoms of nerve agent poisoning include runny nose,
tightness of chest, difficulty breathing, excessive sweating,
nausea, vomiting dimness of vision, pinpointing of the
pupils, convulsion, and death
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6. VX GAS
• KIND: Nerve agents
• ANTIDOTE: atropin
• It works as a nerve agent by blocking the function of the enzym
acetylcholinesterase
• VX is deadliest of all nerve agents, VX kills in less than a minute unless its
antidote, atropine, is administered directly into the heart.
• C11 H26 N O2 P S
O-Ethyl-S-[2(diisopropylamino)ethyl] methylphosphonothioate
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7. SARIN
• KIND: nerve agent
• ANTIDOTE: atropine or other acetylcholine
• At room temperature, sarin is a colourless, odourless
liquid
• CH3P(O)(F)OCH(CH3)2
O-Isopropyl Methylphosphonofluoridate
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8. SOMAN
• KIND: nerve agent
• ANTIDOTE: commercial name is „Transant“
• C7H16F02P
• O-Pinacolyl methylphosphonofluoridate
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9. TABUN
• KIND: nerve agent
• ANTIDOTE: Atropine + NaF (15 mg/kg)
• Tabun is a colourless to brown liquid.
• Tabun was the first nerve agent
• C5H11N202P
• Ethyl N,N-dimethylphosphoramidocyanidate
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10. Blister Agents
• They are named for the ability to cause severe chemical burns ,
resulting in painful water blisters on the bodies of those affected.
• Blister agents attack the lungs, eyes, and skin.
• They blister both skin and mucous membranes.
• Blister agents are dense than air and are readily absorbed through the
eyes, lungs, and skin.
• Exposure to vapors becomes evident in 4 to 6 hrs
• LEWISITE is blister agent and its effect is immediate.
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11. LEWISITE
• Lewisite is an organoarsenic compound .it was once manufactured in the U.S.,
japan, Germany, and the soviet union for use as a chemical weapon, acting as a
blister agent and lung irritant.
• Although colorless and odorless, impure samples of lewisite are yellow, brown,
violet, black, green.
• 2-chloroethenylarsonous dichloride.
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12. Yperite (Mustard Gas )
• KIND: Blister agents
• ANTIDOTE: Sodium ethanemonothiophosphonate is a weak
antidote.
• In pure form, it is a colorless, odorless, viscous liquid at room temperature.
• As a weapon it is spread by explosive force, which converts it to vapor and
causes blistering of the skin
• C4H8C12S
•
• Bis (2-chloroethyl) sulfide 12

13. Blood Agents
• Blood agents interfere with the bodies ability to
absorb oxygen.
• The victim dies because the body tissues are starved
of oxygen.
• Blood agents cause headaches, vertigo, and nausea
before death
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14. Choking Agents
• Choking agents attack the lungs, causing them to fill with
fluid.
• Choking agents are detected by their smell and their
irritancy.
• The victim suffocates by drowning in his own body fluid.
• Inhalation of these agents cause coughing, choking,
tightness of the chest, nausea, headache, and watering of
the eyes.
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15. Phosgene
• KIND: Choking Agents
• A colorless agent ,gained infamy as a chemical weapon during world war I
where it was responsible for about 85% of the 100,000 deaths caused by
the chemical weapons.
• ANTIDOTE: No antidote exists for phosgene
• Carbonyl chloride
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16. Hydrogen cyanide
• KIND: Choking Agents
• ANTIDOTE: para-aminopropiophenone
• It‘s contained in the exhaust of vehicles, in tobacco smoke.
• Used by Nazi Germany during the Holocaust to kill millions of European Jews in
World War II
• The toxicity is caused by the cyanide ion.
• Signs and Symptoms: nausea, gasp , cherry-red skin, death
• HCN
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17. Incapatitating Agents
• Incapacitatingagent is a military term used to denote an agent
that temporarily and nonlethally impairs the performance of an
enemy by targeting the central nervous system (CNS)
• Of these substances investigated by the military, anticholinergic
agents best fit these criteria and are stable enough for use in war
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18. LSD(lysergic acid diethylamide)
• KIND: incapacitating
• Incapacitating agents are not primarily intended to kill
• It causes a powerful intensification and alteration of senses,
feelings, memories, and self-awareness for 6 to 14 hours.
• LSD usually produces visual effects such as moving geometric
patterns and brilliant colors.
• D-lysergic acid diethylamide
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19. HISTORY
 Chemical weapons were first used in significant amounts in World War
I.
 German troops released Chlorine Gas on unsuspecting French soldiers,
choking them and causing panic.
 The Germans also used Phosgene Gas and introduced Mustard Gas
into war in 1917.
 By 1918, all major world powers had employed chemical weapons
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20. MODERN USE OF CHEMICAL AGENTS
 Italy uses chemical weapons against Ethiopia in 1930s.
 Egypt uses chemical weapons against Yemen in 1960s.
 Iraq uses chemical weapons against Iran in 1980s-1990s.
 In August of 2015, the OPCW confirmed that ISIS used mustard gas on
civilians in Syria.
 In march 2017 ISIS attack civilians in Iraq with rockets laced with
chemical agents .
 According to U.S intelligence officials , ISIS is working towards creating a
chemical weapons cell of specialists to increase its supply to deadly nerve
agents like sarin , VX.
 The Syrian government has repeatedly used chemical weapons against its
own people.
 In April 2017 sarin gas launched from Syrian military base killed over 80
civilians and injured hundreds more, including many women and children.
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21. Protection
 Protection against chemical weapons can be done by the use of
protective equipment like a protective mask , facelet , semi
protective mask , which is supposed to more comfortable to
wear.
 For the body protection rubber clothing which together with the
gloves and boots cover the entire body part apart from that
protected by the mask.
 Collective protection can also be used by group of people for
example vehicles or special shelters.
 detection of type of CW contaminated environment is also vital
in obtaining information on the risks needed for alarm and
mapping of decontamination requirement.
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22. OPCW
• The Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical
Weapons (OPCW) is an intergovernmental
Organisation and the implementing body for
the Chemical Weapons Convention (Convention on
the Prohibition of the Development, Production,
Stockpiling and Use of Chemical Weapons and on
their Destruction), which entered into force on 29
April 1997.
• The OPCW, with its 193 member states, has its seat
in The Hague, Netherlands, and oversees the global
endeavour for the permanent and
verifiable elimination of chemical weapons
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23. INDIA AND OPCW
• India ratified the CWC in 1996 and in 1997 declared a stockpile of
1044 tons of Sulfur Musturd .
• Destruction was completed in 2009 making it the third state to
completely destroy its chemical weapons stockpile
• Indias chemical industry is a major sector of Indian economy that
includes trade in dual –use chemicals .
• India plays an expanding role in global nonproliferation norms by
providing extensive support to the organisation for the prohibition of
the chemicals weapons and seeking greater participation in the
international export control regimes.
• While India is unlikely to build a CW capability, theft or diversion of
materials by terrorist or criminal organisations remain a concern.
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24. THANK YOU
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