Thermobaric weapons, also known as vacuum bombs, are a type of fuel-air explosive that Russia has been accused of using in Ukraine. They are among the most powerful non-nuclear weapons and work by using oxygen from the surrounding air, making the blast more deadly than conventional weapons. The mechanism involves an initial explosive dispersing an aerosolized fuel which then ignites, consuming the oxygen in an area and creating overpressures greater than typical high explosives. Their blast wave can collapse lungs and rupture internal organs, with medical effects including damage to the cardiovascular, pulmonary, gastrointestinal, auditory, and central nervous systems. While Russia claims to be conducting a military operation, use of such indiscriminate weapons is

1. Chemical
Warfare
Mary Joyce O. Reposo
Selected topics in chemistry

2. THERMOBARIC
MUNITIONS:
A Feasible Threat to
an Advanced
Chemical Warfare

3. TABLE OF
CONTENTS
-01-
Introduction
Ukraine and Russia Conflict
-02-
Russian
Warheads
Thermobaric Munitions and
its Chemical Composition
-03- Blast
Mechanism
How powerful and
destructive it is?
-04-
Devastating
Impacts
Medical Effects

4. Discuss Thermobaric
Munitions as a weapon in
a Chemical Warfare.
Objective

5. Trivia
Quiz

6. B
World War I
A
Spanish Civil
War
D
Russian Civil
C
World War II
When were chemical weapons first
used?

7. World war
I
Chemical weapons were first used in
World War I, and the nations of the
world quickly and uniformly decided
that these weapons went too far.

8. B
Chlorine
Gas
A
Mustard Gas
D
VX
C
Sarin Gas
What was the first chemical
weapon used effectively in battle?

9. Chlorine
Gas
The first chemical weapon
used effectively in battle was
chlorine gas, which burns and
destroys lung tissue.

10. B
Chlorine
Gas
A
Mustard Gas
D
VX
C
Sarin Gas
What chemical agent did the group
Aum Shinrikyo release into the
Tokyo subway system in 1995?

11. Sarin Gas
In 1995, the group Aum Shinrikyo
released sarin gas in the Tokyo
subway, wounding thousands and
killing 12 people.

12. B
Small pox
A
Ebola Virus
D
Anthrax
C
COVID 19
Which potential biological weapon
has been eradicated from the
natural world?

13. Small Pox
The smallpox virus was a major killer
until it was controlled with
vaccinations in the 20th century. It
has been eradicated in the natural
world, but some fear terrorists could
use laboratory strains as a biological

14. B
Foot and Mouth
Disease
A
Ebola Virus
D
Chicken Pox
C
COVID 19
Which of these potential biological
weapons could be ideal for
targeting the food supply?

15. Foot and
Mouth Disease
Foot-and-mouth disease has recently
been a huge problem in Europe.
Spreading the disease to the United
States would be relatively easy and very
disruptive.

16. B
Biological
Warfare
A
Chemical
Warfare
D
Physical
Warfare
C
Chemical and
Biological
What kind of warfare are you
engaged in when you use
insecticide against lawn pests?

17. Chemical
Warfare
Many chemical weapons use
ingredients found in insecticides. When
you spray your lawn or garden with
insecticide, you're basically waging a
chemical war against backyard bugs.

18. -chemical
warfare
Destructions Pride
Religion/Beliefs
Politics Chemicals
Weapons

19. -chemical
warfare
Chemical warfare is the
use of chemical
substances' poisonous
qualities in warfare and
related military activities to
kill, damage, or
incapacitate an adversary

20. Ukraine and Russia
Conflict
01
What caused the quarrel in the
first place?

21. Ukraine and Russia
Conflict
The conflict arises when Russia attempts to prevent
Ukraine from joining NATO, claiming that it would
jeopardize its national security.
■ Russia and Ukraine were both members of the Soviet
Union until 1991, when the Soviet Union disintegrated and
Ukraine proclaimed independence.
.
■ Ukraine occupies a strategic geographical position, sitting at
the center of the fight for influence in Europe
■ Tensions between Ukraine and Russia have risen further as a
result of Russia's decision to deploy tens of thousands of
troops near the Ukrainian border and conduct a continuous
stream of military maneuvers to demonstrate its military

22. Russia has been accused of employing
"vacuum bombs."
Russian soldiers have been accused of employing vacuum
bombs, which are generally forbidden and hazardous
weapons that "obliterate" their targets.
"They used the vacuum bomb today," Markarova
said after a meeting with lawmakers. "The
devastation that Russia is trying to inflict on
Ukraine is large."
White House press secretary Jen Psaki said she had seen
reports but did not have confirmation that Russia had
used such weapons. Psaki added that if it's true, "it would
potentially be a war crime."

23. -02-
Thermobaric munitions and its
chemical composition
Russian warheads

24. Thermobaric
Munitions
Thermobaric weapons are a subset of the larger family of weapon
systems known as volumetric weapons.
Thermobaric and fuel-air explosions are among the volumetric weapons.
The term "thermobaric" is a composite word derived from the Greek
terms "therme" and "baros," which respectively indicate "heat" and
"pressure."

25. The theory behind
unconfirmed vapor
cloud explosions is
used in thermobaric
explosives.
Just like the British
flour mills of the
They are among the
most powerful non-
nuclear weapons ever
developed.
Thermobaric
Weapons
also known as Vacuum Bomb
A high-powered
explosive that uses the
atmosphere itself as
part of the explosion.

27. Chemical composition
The fuel consists of a
monopropellant and
energetic particles.
(particles with high heats of
combustion such as beryllium,

28. -03
How powerful and destructive it is?
Blast mechanism

29. Mechanism of action
The blast effect of
these explosives is
substantially greater
than that of typical
high explosives due
to the increased
impulse.
These kind of
composites have a
high negative Gibbs
free energy of
reaction, but exhibit
only a moderate
detonation pressure
The explosives in
fuel-air explosives
are oxidized with
ambient oxygen as
well.
As a result, metal
fuels with a high
negative Gibbs free
energy per mole of
Organic fuels have been used in fuel-air explosives
(also known as thermobaric explosives/weapons) since
the 1960s.

30. The weapon is shot or dropped, and the first explosive
charge spreads the fuel such as aerosols consisting of
very fine particles (metal, flammable dusts, and chemical
droplets) in a cloud that absorbs oxygen and travels
"around things and into structures."
The second explosive charge detonates as the fuel cloud
expands. The blast wave created by the explosion is most
devastating in enclosed places, such as houses and
The bomb works by generating a high-
temperature explosion utilizing oxygen from
the surrounding air. Making it far deadlier than
a conventional weapon
How does it
works?

31. Firstly, anaerobic action (without air oxygen)
occurs inside a conventional high
explosive core in microseconds;
Then aerobic delayed burning action of the fuel-rich
outer charge, which depends mainly on the
consumption of the surrounding air and which results
in an intense fireball (5000 oC+) and high blast
overpressure. The fuel can rapidly diffuse within
structures, consuming the oxygen and creating
conditions that make human survivability extremely
In terms of functionality, The mechanism works as follows (and can be
considered two-stage):
How does it
works?

34. -04
Medical Effects
Devastating impacts

35. Primary blast injuries are those generated by a blast pressure
wave or blast wave, which travels hundreds of pounds per
square inch from the epicentre of the explosion.
Medical Effects
Cardiovascular
System
Pulmonary System
This disrupts air gaps in the body and creates shear stresses where
air/tissue interfaces or tissues of various densities interact.
Gastrointestinal
System
Auditory System
Central Nervous
System

36. This creates a stress wave that damages
the lobes, ribs on the side of the blast,
mediastinum, and alveoli, and may rupture
the more rigid bronchioles if the velocity is
low. If the alveoli break, fluid leaks into the
lungs, causing total filling, sometimes
known as "shock lung" or "blast lung".
Pulmonary System
The pulmonary system is made up of the upper
airways, two lungs, the lower airways, the blood
vessels, the chest wall, or thoracic cage; and
the diaphragm.
The pulmonary system's principal job is to
exchange gases between the ambient air and
the blood.

37. The cardiovascular system is responsible
for delivering oxygen and nutrients to the
entire body as well as removing waste.
Cardiovascular System
An air embolus in the heart or coronary arteries or
generalized injury to the myocardium might impact
the cardiovascular system. After exposing a living
sheep to blast overpressure,

38. The tympanic membrane is
ruptured resulting in minor hearing
loss. The membrane may
disintegrate and the ossicles may
dislocate in more severe cases,
necessitating surgical intervention.
Auditory System
Also, ossicular dislocation can occur without
tympanic rupture, that the organ of the corti is
the most vulnerable, and that labyrinthine
rupture causes dizziness and vertigo.
The inner ear is injured in the worst cases, resulting in
sensorineural hearing as well as debilitating discomfort,
nausea, and balance issues.

39. Gastro-intestinal injury is more widespread than
is recognized and that it happens when stress
waves pass through pockets of trapped gas in
the intestine.
Gastro intestinal System
In mild cases, bruising occurs, but in severe cases,
perforation, particularly at the ileocaecal junction, can
ensue. Peritonitis and haemorrhaging must be
monitored due to leaking bowel contents. This might
happen up to 14 days after the injury has occurred18.
Perforations and bleeding are treated with surgery18,
and these injuries and their sequelae must be
monitored closely.

40. A cerebral arterial gas embolism is
the major lesion to the central
nervous system caused by the
original blast, and it can induce an
inexplicable decrease in function or
death.
Central Nervous System
Central Nervous System (CNS) is the most important
unit in an organism as it is the ‘centre’ or the hub which
instigates information, commands and coordinates and
also influences all the other actives within a body.

41. Qui
z
Are you ready?

42. 1
How is Thermobaric
Weapons differ from other
weapons?
3
What makes the
Thermobaric weapons
powerful?
2
Why Thermobaric
weapons has a massive
blast mechanism?
4
Do you think what Russia
did to Ukraine is right?
Why?
Short Answer

43. Grade 7
Distinguish mixtures from
substances based on a set of
properties
Grade 9
Determine the percentage
composition of a compound given
its chemical
formula and vice versa.
Describe the horizontal and
vertical motions of a projectile
Grade
10
Investigate the relationship between:
1 volume and pressure at constant temperature of a gas
2 volume and temperature at constant pressure of a gas
3 explains these relationships using the kinetic molecular theory
Apply the principles of conservation of mass to chemical reactions
Explain how the factors affecting rates of chemical reactions are
applied in
food preservation and materials production, control of fire,
pollution, and
Melc analysis

44. Gen.
chem 1
Recognize the formulas of
common chemical substances
Use the gas laws to determine
pressure, volume, or
temperature of a gas under certain
conditions of change
Gen.
Physics 1
Deduce the consequences of the independence
of vertical
and horizontal components of projectile motion
Calculate range, time of flight, and maximum
heights of
projectiles
Solve problems involving ideal gas equations in
contexts
such as, but not limited to, the design of metal
Melc analysis

45. Situational Analysis in heat and
pressure relationship
Sample Activities
Problem solving in projectile motions
and gas laws
Familiarizing with chemicals

46. References
Gupta, R. C. (2015). Handbook of toxicology of chemical warfare agents. Academic Press.
Chauhan, Cruz, e.t al. (2008). Chemical warfare agents. Environmental Toxicology and Pharmacology, 26(2), 113-
122. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.etap.2008.03.003
McCauley, L. A. (2020). Epidemiology of chemical warfare agents. Handbook of Toxicology of Chemical Warfare Agents, 67-
77.
Gulati, K., Thokchom, S. K., & Ray, A. (2020). Impact of chemical warfare agents on the immune system. Handbook of
Toxicology of Chemical Warfare Agents, 685- 703. https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-12-819090-6.00042-8
Ukraine-Russia war: Kyiv claims Putin using vacuum bombs L why the Thermobaric weapons are deadly [Video]. (2022,
March 1). News18. https://www.news18.com/videos/ivideos/ukraine-russia-war-kyiv-claims-putin-using-vacuum-bombs-
l-why-the-thermobaric-weapons-are-deadly- 4824668.html
Rincón, L., & Rivas, L. M. (2022, January 27). Ukraine-Russia crisis: What started the conflict and what will happen next? EL
PAÍS English Edition. https://english.elpais.com/usa/2022-01-27/ukraine-russia-crisis-what-started-the-conflict-and-what-
will-happen-next.html
Technorites. (2022, March 4). What is a vacuum bomb? [Video].
YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yOymBG7Hzes
Miranda, G., & TODAY, U. (2022, March 1). Russia has been accused of using 'vacuum bombs' in Ukraine. What are
those? [Video]. USATODAY. https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2022/03/0 1/vacuum-bombs-Russia-

47. Thank you for
listening!