Today’s Video of the Day comes from the American Chemical Society’s Reactions series and features a look at how nerve agents were developed as severe chemical weapons.
Nerve agents like VX and sarin gas were originally developed in Nazi Germany by accident. A scientist had been working to cultivate a stronger insecticide by combining cyanide derivatives with phosphorus. The result was a potent poison that was named “Tabun,” the German word for “taboo.”
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By Rory Arnold, Earth.com
Source: American Chemical Society