Which Nerve Agent is the Most Evil?

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  • čas přidán 18. 10. 2022
  • Nerve agents are completely terrifying - in this episode I discuss the different classes of nerve agents, and we determine which ones are the most EVIL.
    Exposure to nerve agents is usually treated with atropine and pralidoxime chloride (2-PAM chloride).
    Nerve agents inhibit acetylcholinesterase, which is an enzyme that catalyzes the breakdown of acetylcholine. Some nerve agents covalently bind to the enzyme, and can damage the active site of the enzyme, so the acetylcholine builds up, the signal keeps sending, and the motor neurons keep firing. The G series and V series of nerve agents were mass produced, weaponized agents, while the EA series, A series, and others are not known to be mass produced or weaponized.
    Support the Channel on Patreon - / thatchemist
    Join the Community Discord! - / discord
    Second Discord link if the first one is borked - / discord
    ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    References:
    (Graphic) Rabbits exposed to nerve agents - • US Army Nerve Agent We...
    Scary book - Jared Ledgard, A Laboratory History of Chemical Warfare Agents - (the link to this book was deactivated; perhaps the uploader had violated the hosting site's TOS - its ISBN-13 number is‎ 978-0615136455)
    Methyl cyclosarin treatment patent - patents.google.com/patent/US1...
    Earliest Methyl cyclosarin reference - sci-hub.se/10.1007/BF00354767
    Previous Tierlist - • 'Fukinone' got this ti...
    Hydrolysis of VX/EA-2192 - doi.org/10.1289/ehp.99107933
    VR 'first Novichok' - cen.acs.org/articles/96/i12/N...
    SL-599 (SB-8) paper - pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/ja01...
    Perfect 10 patent - patents.google.com/patent/US4...
    ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Molecules for this tierlist - Tabun (GA), Sarin (GB), Chlorosarin, Thiosarin (GBS), Soman (GD), Cyclosarin (GF), Methyl cyclosarin (EA-1356), VX, EA-2192, Russian VX (VR), Chinese VX, V-sub x, A-230, A-234, A-242, C01-A039, C01-A042, Neostigmine, TMTFA, TL-599 (SB-8), T-1123, T-1152, 4-692-530-01, 4-686-293-01 (Agent 1-10), 4-686-293-02 (Agent 1-8)
    Tierlist Playlist - • Chemistry Tierlists
  • Věda a technologie

Komentáře • 4,4K

  • @That_Chemist
    @That_Chemist  Před rokem +3449

    Nerve agents inhibit acetylcholinesterase, which is an enzyme that catalyzes the breakdown of acetylcholine. Some nerve agents covalently bind to the enzyme, and can damage the active site of the enzyme, so the acetylcholine builds up, the signal keeps sending, and the motor neurons keep firing. The G series and V series of nerve agents were mass produced, weaponized agents, while the EA series, A series, and others are not known to be mass produced or weaponized. Exposure to nerve agents is usually treated with atropine and pralidoxime chloride (2-PAM chloride).

    • @derrickhageman1969
      @derrickhageman1969 Před rokem +159

      fun fact: Every single pesticide in use are nerve agents more specifically nerve inhibitors

    • @OpossumSupremacist
      @OpossumSupremacist Před rokem +50

      @@derrickhageman1969 while true, things like Carbamates are relatively weak NAs, they aren't NEAR the potency of classical NA chemical warfare agents. And outta the 260 some publicly known NAs he had to narrow it down somehow

    • @databang
      @databang Před rokem

      ( •̀ᴗ•́ )و ̑̑ A perfect brainstorm list for the wonnabe punk band, or for the maniacal prankster with an itchy finger and label maker.

    • @derrickhageman1969
      @derrickhageman1969 Před rokem +52

      @@OpossumSupremacist Yep pesticides are weak to people but not insects but the one thing I realized while watching this video is chemistry is one scary profession ngl moving nerve agents aside their is other chemical compounds and elements that can seriously injure you or kill you in a few drops or grams

    • @stephenjacks8196
      @stephenjacks8196 Před rokem +10

      Aircraft hydraulic fluid is TriButylPhosphate.

  • @martijndevries8074
    @martijndevries8074 Před rokem +11712

    It is an honor to be on a watch list with you all!

    • @blacklight4720
      @blacklight4720 Před rokem +60

      lol

    • @panywally3172
      @panywally3172 Před rokem +78

      Likewise

    • @Gucici_yt
      @Gucici_yt Před rokem +122

      Clicked on this video to find this comment😂

    • @KajiinSkyrim
      @KajiinSkyrim Před rokem +126

      well, i didn't actually search for this, i don't think youtube algorithm makes you subject to being on a watchist, at least in europe hahahaha

    • @ryanc1045
      @ryanc1045 Před rokem +2

      Likewise

  • @Somejaun
    @Somejaun Před rokem +6576

    I knew I’d be traumatized when I saw that Sarin was only in D tier

    • @puertoricanpapi1356
      @puertoricanpapi1356 Před rokem +107

      Can I give you some sarin.

    • @toxicity6629
      @toxicity6629 Před rokem +49

      Same I low key got mad

    • @toxicity6629
      @toxicity6629 Před rokem +26

      @@puertoricanpapi1356 I’ll take a container

    • @puertoricanpapi1356
      @puertoricanpapi1356 Před rokem +1

      @@toxicity6629 sorry I don’t think your kind would know what to do with it. Probably just end up polluting the whole hood further.

    • @Lemon_Sage9999
      @Lemon_Sage9999 Před rokem +72

      @@toxicity6629 everyone knows that the guy named "toxicity" is all about sketchy purchases

  • @Kitty12476
    @Kitty12476 Před rokem +1097

    The really scary part about this is that these are ALL incredibly simple molecules.
    Im an organic chemistry student on my third year of Ochem and I'm trained to look at molecular structures and imagine the potential synthesis pathways. The first thing that came to mind when I saw these was that I could synthesize these compounds with relative ease and using common precursors, which is really really really scary. 😭
    As we push for a more educated societal standard, i wonder how many horrible people in the future will come up with the bright idea to utilize chemical weaponry

    • @That_Chemist
      @That_Chemist  Před rokem +459

      Safely making these sorts of things would be really challenging, so the risk is minimized due to the exposure of the chemist to the nefarious agents

    • @justalurker3489
      @justalurker3489 Před rokem +122

      If it helps a lot of these are redundant from a weaponry point of view. VX has been around since the 50s and Edgewood mass produced enough to wipe out cities, once you have something that deadly it doesn't make a practical difference if the newer compound is more toxic, a tiny amount can already kill you and there's already a lot of it ready to be deployed, unless you're looking for something niche (as in not a WMD) there's no reason to make something worse unless you can't make VX.

    • @DrDipsh1t
      @DrDipsh1t Před rokem +71

      ​@@justalurker3489that's the way I look at it: you can only get so efficient at killing things lol.

    • @DaveSmith-cp5kj
      @DaveSmith-cp5kj Před rokem +1

      @@DrDipsh1t Not to mention higher lethality is a double edged sword as it makes it harder to handle. More terrorists have been killed by exposure to their own NBC agent than the victims they have claimed.

    • @LDamourjr
      @LDamourjr Před rokem +74

      As a member of a domestic WMD response team the majority of our monthly real world simulated trainings are orchestrated as 1st or 2nd year chem students whom elected to challenge their recently discovered knowledge by attempting to manufacture some of these agents without concern for the ramifications.

  • @ajm5007
    @ajm5007 Před rokem +1116

    Not nearly as extreme as the nerve agent testing, but in the late 90s, I was in the Marine Corps and "volunteered" for a sleep deprivation experiment. A substantial number of minor injuries occurred, and those who made it to the end were largely experiencing delusions, mood disorders, and outright hallucinations. Some (like me) recovered relatively quickly after returning to normal sleep patterns, but some needed months of therapy to resolve sleep and mood disorders they'd developed (and probably still have lingering symptoms). It was a nightmare. But you got paid a lot more AND you got as long as you needed to recover afterward.

    • @That_Chemist
      @That_Chemist  Před rokem +150

      Interesting

    • @DaveSmith-cp5kj
      @DaveSmith-cp5kj Před rokem +150

      I'm surprised they did that experiment when the symptoms of sleep deprivation were long established by the 90s. I wonder if they were actually testing some other behavioral aspect but of course didn't want to cause a placebo by informing you.

    • @MegaBlair007
      @MegaBlair007 Před rokem +72

      holy shit the sleep experiments are real

    • @Orphican
      @Orphican Před rokem +22

      Dude thank you for your service and your sacrifice. I hope they got some useful data.

    • @Sober_Alcoholic
      @Sober_Alcoholic Před rokem +39

      The thing's us military folk will do for some extra money and extra time off..

  • @petermaddin5611
    @petermaddin5611 Před rokem +9934

    I am impressed that you had the nerve to do this

  • @geldundkokaine2569
    @geldundkokaine2569 Před rokem +4369

    You're not a real chemist if your home products aren't even on this leaderboard

    • @That_Chemist
      @That_Chemist  Před rokem +734

      👀👀👀

    • @LogieD223
      @LogieD223 Před rokem +516

      The US government would like to know your location

    • @minusstage3
      @minusstage3 Před rokem +238

      ​@@LogieD223 trust me they already have us all on it!

    • @LogieD223
      @LogieD223 Před rokem +64

      @@minusstage3 Ain't that the truth lol

    • @samblackstone3400
      @samblackstone3400 Před rokem +90

      What’s horrifying about that is some of these do not look hard to synthesize.

  • @patches.742
    @patches.742 Před rokem +494

    Hearing that one of these compounds is lethal at the femto molar level left me mouth agape and sent shivers down my spine, absolutely insane

    • @Volvith
      @Volvith Před rokem +65

      That was 4 decades ago as well.
      _I really don't like this video. :)_

    • @CaptainNorris
      @CaptainNorris Před rokem +45

      Well actually its not. If one reads the papers carefully, this claim collapses down to a very unimportant kinetic finding. There is one kinetic constant, which turns out to be femtomolar if you do lots of math to isolate it from the complex mechanism, but the IC50 is micromolar, so this is a weak agent. But the quotes on wikipedia got mangled and on the first glance, one might think, its super potent. Its not even a chemical warfare agent and has never been considered to be a candidate.

    • @sharcc2511
      @sharcc2511 Před rokem

      @@Volvith I know right, same feeling as when I heard about the CIA and their FULLY FUNCTIONING HEART-ATTACK GUN. which was made back in like, the fucking 1970s. Because 1- After you realize how many notable people have died to heart attacks over the years of seemingly natural causes, this really can make you wonder.
      And 2 (More relavent to this) If they had a wholly traceless, nearly silent gun which made people die of seemingly natural causes all the way back in the 70s, imagine what they can do today with their current budget and scale.

    • @Skoopyghost
      @Skoopyghost Před 6 měsíci

      I had friends overdosing from Oxy, and ETC. It sounds a lot like dying from a nerve agent.

    • @tf2scoutpunch175
      @tf2scoutpunch175 Před 4 měsíci

      @@Volvithsoy

  • @mattm1646
    @mattm1646 Před rokem +425

    I still remember our NAAK (nerve agent antidote kit)training in Army BCT. It honestly was the most terrfying part, not because it was dangerous at all but just learning about Nerve agents and how quickly they could get ya with very little warning. We had to memorize all the symptoms.
    Sudden headache
    Unexplained runny nose
    Burning eyes
    Etc.

    • @toxichank6960
      @toxichank6960 Před rokem +21

      SLUDGM. That's what I learned at Anniston HAZMAT Tech training. We practiced test kits in hot cells, I believe with Sarin. Very interesting.

    • @williamkowalchik572
      @williamkowalchik572 Před rokem +5

      That describes my cooking. 😆 lol. This stuff is not to messed around with. WW1 showed how easy it was it poison yourself with it.

    • @GetTheFO
      @GetTheFO Před rokem +5

      @@toxichank6960 I ended up with the opportunity to test in hot cells with VX. Incredibly un-nerving experience. Cool, but fuck that. I’d rather go back to my Stryker and collect ground samples lmao

    • @toxichank6960
      @toxichank6960 Před rokem

      @@GetTheFO At least somebody had our backs (or butts) covered with 2-PAM.

    • @R0cketRed
      @R0cketRed Před rokem +2

      Damn that's like the Vid, anything can be a symptom so good luck everyone.

  • @Nitroaereus
    @Nitroaereus Před rokem +2543

    There really is a tierlist for everything on CZcams.

    • @MailmanRSO
      @MailmanRSO Před rokem +40

      Tierlist for Tierlists? Is that allowed? I feel like the universe would collapse after that.

    • @Rwdphotos
      @Rwdphotos Před rokem +6

      Could always make a tier list for the tier list tier lists

    • @kestrels-in-the-sky
      @kestrels-in-the-sky Před rokem +7

      @@Rwdphotos could you make a tier list of the tier lists of the tier list of tier lists

    • @Nyctophiliac.
      @Nyctophiliac. Před rokem +17

      pipe bomb tier list

    • @KungFuWizardOfJesus
      @KungFuWizardOfJesus Před rokem +10

      Terrorist attacks tier list? I wonder what would be in S tier.

  • @Shniedelwoodz
    @Shniedelwoodz Před rokem +734

    This tierlist could have used extra tiers above S, like "wtf?!", "oh god no" and "why would you even?!"

    • @thewhatwhat12333
      @thewhatwhat12333 Před rokem +83

      thats just like, all of them basically

    • @DieEineMieze
      @DieEineMieze Před rokem +4

      That's what S tier is....

    • @Uthael_Kileanea
      @Uthael_Kileanea Před rokem +23

      He said at the start that everything on the list is S-tier horrible. That means, that F... Is actually an S. And the ones above are...

    • @DieEineMieze
      @DieEineMieze Před rokem

      @@Uthael_Kileanea Dear Sire, have you lost your mind?

    • @ladywaffle2210
      @ladywaffle2210 Před rokem +22

      @@Uthael_Kileanea So, in other words, the tier list is actually
      -The Hague Won't Even Give You A Trial For This (S)
      -Crime Against Life (A)
      -The Development Process Was Grounds For Execution (B)
      -Added To Charges: Crimes Against Humanity (C)
      -Death Is Not Enough For Your Crimes (D)
      -A War Criminal Is You (E)
      -F Stands For Un-Forgivable Sin (F)

  • @windfall8058
    @windfall8058 Před rokem +134

    For anyone who doesn't wanna see the video of what happens when someone is exposed to a nerve agent, but are still curious, look at a wasp getting sprayed by raid. The spray holds the sodium channels open and essentially makes them have a seizure until they die.

    • @ianharrison5758
      @ianharrison5758 Před rokem

      Damn. We really out here casually using war crimes on wasps. Fuckers deserve it tho

    • @darthmaul197
      @darthmaul197 Před rokem

      Damn

    • @windfall8058
      @windfall8058 Před 10 měsíci

      @@drt1605 Same goes for mosquitoes. We've developed a method to make them go extinct, but the males are important pollinators.

  • @random.3665
    @random.3665 Před rokem +207

    leaving the horror of all of these aside, i am super impressed that you can tell that something is necessarly toxic just buy looking at the (stylized) molecule. That is not only insanely impressive, but also really shows how much it pays off to actually understand one's own craft, not just get familiar with steps.

    • @tinac5146
      @tinac5146 Před rokem +15

      I just finished Chem 102 and even with tutoring, extra credit, and studying multiple times a week, the highest grade I could made was an 86 lol. That stuff really goes over my head, so I'm also amazed too. I need a little bit of his passion to help me through organic chemistry next year

  • @roscop.coaltrain9440
    @roscop.coaltrain9440 Před rokem +2089

    I was a nuclear, biological and chemical specialist in the army. Learning about his when I was 18 scared the hell out of me

    • @That_Chemist
      @That_Chemist  Před rokem +262

      It’s awful

    • @roscop.coaltrain9440
      @roscop.coaltrain9440 Před rokem +290

      @@That_Chemist the binary agents you discussed were only a rumor in the 90s. I was surprised when you mentioned them.

    • @simon20002
      @simon20002 Před rokem +23

      @@roscop.coaltrain9440 this is terrifying

    • @lordbabycakes8736
      @lordbabycakes8736 Před rokem +90

      I start my AIT for that next week, CBRN has always fascinated and scared the fuck out of me, wish me luck I hope I never need to earn my pay for this job

    • @x0nks
      @x0nks Před rokem +9

      @@lordbabycakes8736 you me both bro

  • @DP-qe2xo
    @DP-qe2xo Před rokem +2588

    Thanks for the tierlist, was struggling to pick one until now 👍

    • @dxwnfall4765
      @dxwnfall4765 Před rokem +81

      WHAT

    • @johndoha5181
      @johndoha5181 Před rokem +29

      Lmao🤣

    • @thedread7258
      @thedread7258 Před rokem +5

      @@Zizos 1K, I have an extension that shows me the dislikes. You should install one.

    • @IronMan9771
      @IronMan9771 Před rokem +4

      @@thedread7258 keep in mind though the extension isn't wholly accurate. It takes the number of dislikes from before CZcams removed them and also keeps a count of the dislikes from other people with the extension. It can't account for post-removal dislikes from average users because it has no way of knowing about them

    • @andrewthomson
      @andrewthomson Před rokem +4

      Allahu Akbar

  • @borb1921
    @borb1921 Před rokem +516

    I’ve never heard about the Edgewood Arsenal human experiments before either, would be interested to see a video on it. We shouldn’t forget the atrocities in our past.

    • @ClaytonBigsby93
      @ClaytonBigsby93 Před rokem +21

      Sadly, we always do..

    • @bujfvjg7222
      @bujfvjg7222 Před rokem +16

      Especially if they're still happening now!

    • @ghostwriter1415
      @ghostwriter1415 Před rokem

      @@bujfvjg7222 people call me slow, dumb, stupid, and even retarded. However, it's realities like these that allow me to remain blissfully ignorant, and happy to work at Bojangles for $10 per hour! This world is broken beyond repair, and there's nothing you and I can do about it.

    • @gamerguy425
      @gamerguy425 Před rokem +6

      how the fuck did they test the nerve agents on citizens??! were they highly dilouted or something? were the volunteers not told what they were really inhaling??

    • @Hello-fy6oo
      @Hello-fy6oo Před rokem

      Please make a video!!

  • @DiamondEyes84
    @DiamondEyes84 Před rokem +50

    Fun fact about Aberdeen/ Edgewood area. If you get stationed there for more than 3 yrs, you MUST sign a waiver stating you have been made aware that there are VERY high levels of cancer in the area. Oh, and in the mornings we would go on company runs up to the gate to edgewood. On the gate, they had a sign that they are authorized to use deadly force without warning if you cross said gate

    • @itsjustme8947
      @itsjustme8947 Před rokem +6

      Ah, the good ol' 'Use of Deadly Force Authorized' signage. That's just an ordinary day at any USAF base where there are Alert bombers, tankers, or fighters on the flightline.

  • @zchen27
    @zchen27 Před rokem +3049

    I remember in high school our chemistry teacher told us that our final assignment in class is to research any paper that is chemistry-related and present it to the class. Me, being the meme/edge-lord all high schoolers tend to be, did an entire presentation on the effects and countermeasures to agent VX with model testing on mice, as described in some Czech research paper. To maximize meme potential, my entire Powerpoint was in Comic Sans.

    • @That_Chemist
      @That_Chemist  Před rokem +762

      Everybody make way for our new ruler, zchen27

    • @adrianhenle
      @adrianhenle Před rokem +568

      Of all the crimes against humanity covered by that presentation, the choice of font is inarguably the worst.

    • @garethjones6342
      @garethjones6342 Před rokem +97

      IMO papyrus might be worse. still. very nice.

    • @ACME_Kinetics
      @ACME_Kinetics Před rokem +190

      Reminds me of when I had to really, really tone down my end of semester presentation. We had a useless science dept, but I somehow got to do an independent study on energetic materials. I got 2-3 police visits, a couple misdemeanor and one felony charges, one letter from the USDOJ and an "A" but not an "A+"
      I learned a lot about energetic materials and a decent amount about the legal system. Very informative class, would recommend.
      Edit: This was a long time ago, not sure I would recommend these days. The independent study part I'd absolutely recommend, my subject maybe not so much.

    • @IndustrialParrot2816
      @IndustrialParrot2816 Před rokem +40

      @@garethjones6342 alright you can stop insulting the skelliton brothers or theyll turn you blue and hit you with bones

  • @trustmeimabiochemist3929
    @trustmeimabiochemist3929 Před rokem +1778

    The moment you sent Sarin to D tier I knew this was gonna be a spicy video.
    The classified, human tested, chemical warfare agents of the United States? Well of course we want to know more about that

    • @samblackstone3400
      @samblackstone3400 Před rokem +60

      I wonder if the poor people who were unknowingly exposed to these were compensated

    • @trustmeimabiochemist3929
      @trustmeimabiochemist3929 Před rokem

      @@samblackstone3400 probably brainwashed to believe it is an honor to sacrifice their health to the development of increasingly efficient ways of killing other human beings

    • @samblackstone3400
      @samblackstone3400 Před rokem +32

      @@trustmeimabiochemist3929
      Truly a horrifying example of jingoism if that’s the case

    • @ಠಎಠ
      @ಠಎಠ Před rokem +198

      Most of the test subjects were inmates at Holmesburg Prison in philly. They were not informed of the risks or natures of these experiments, and were either blackmailed into it by guards or offered reduced sentences in exchange.
      Many actually _did_ get their sentences reduced... technically. Because they died.

    • @trustmeimabiochemist3929
      @trustmeimabiochemist3929 Před rokem +44

      @@ಠಎಠ it just got real worse real quick then

  • @Mt-zr5bf
    @Mt-zr5bf Před rokem +69

    As a Former decontamination sergeant, i can confirm that VX is hellish. One of the big Problems is His very gooey consistance, which make it difficult to decontaminate. In the cbrn Branche, there is the Term "VX problematic"

    • @NebulaHasADigBick
      @NebulaHasADigBick Před 9 měsíci

      it’s gooey and it reminds me of honey, i’ll forget that it’s honey

  • @d.profet5873
    @d.profet5873 Před rokem +42

    so, (for context I’m CBRN in the US Army) and it’s cool to see someone review what they beat into our heads. Soman is terrifying because it ages (permanently binds to your AChE within 2 mins of exposure.) We usually are able to counter nerve agent poisoning with a combination of Diazepam and Atropine (mostly the atropine) alongside copious amounts of RSDL to the affected area. SMs (servicemembers) are given CANA (the anti convulsant) and an ATNAA (the immediate atropine) injectors. Mostly these can counter 2nd and 3rd Gen agents, however the novichoks (4th Gen, A-Series, etc.) are also terrifying bc they are resistant to these interventions. It’s why the Russians prefer them.

  • @expertoflizardcorrugation3967

    ah
    this is horrifying
    but one thing I find interesting is that you can, through their structure, almost sort them into a family tree. it's almost like you can see how the ideas developed over time

    • @That_Chemist
      @That_Chemist  Před rokem +122

      Yeah that’s true!

    • @sealpiercing8476
      @sealpiercing8476 Před rokem +55

      ​@@That_Chemist There's a pretty obvious logic to it. There's a unique bit that has the toxic effect, and the derivatives mostly replace one alkane with another to modify its physical properties.

    • @warpedweirdo
      @warpedweirdo Před rokem +5

      O P O
      I ain't no chemist... but that arrangement appears in a large percentage. I'm guessing that arrangement is the "component" of the molecule that does the dirty work.

    • @alexxu3004
      @alexxu3004 Před rokem +1

      @@warpedweirdo organic phosphoru is dirty dirty stuff

  • @anonviewerciv
    @anonviewerciv Před rokem +262

    A historical overview of making people lose their nerves, literally.
    1:45 G-series.
    8:50 V-series.
    11:45 Novichok.
    14:40 Neostigmine, a medication.

    • @joestevenson5568
      @joestevenson5568 Před rokem

      Neostigmine is quite interesting because whilst all the others are used to CAUSE paralysis, neostigmine is used to REVERSE the paralysis of the non-depolarising neuromuscular blockade cause by drugs like tubocurarine and pancuronium.

  • @MathasarSalazar2
    @MathasarSalazar2 Před rokem +102

    I have no idea what any of this means, but you make this field (chemistry) sound very impressive

  • @joegrst
    @joegrst Před rokem +85

    As a layman in anything related to chemistry, I wish there were additional descriptions as to what these agents do to you physically.
    Still love this content, the fact that many of these don’t degrade and are so lethal at small doses and with little to no warning is wild.

    • @That_Chemist
      @That_Chemist  Před rokem +35

      You should check out my new carcinogen tierlist - let me know if that is more to your liking, as I tried to cover that more in newer videos!

    • @jameson1239
      @jameson1239 Před rokem

      I’m pretty sure all of these inhibit the production of acetylcholinesterase which is an enzyme that breaks down acetylcholine which is a neurotransmitter that does a whole bunch of stuff including making your muscles contract and with no enzyme to get rid of the acetylcholine your muscles just sort of stay contracted which means you can’t breathe and eventually you die due to asphyxiation.

    • @SkipperDannyD
      @SkipperDannyD Před rokem

      Yeah I thought the same tbh

    • @72dew
      @72dew Před rokem +3

      You pretty much cramp to death

    • @joegrst
      @joegrst Před rokem

      @@That_Chemist absolutely! Thanks for pointing me in the right direction :)

  • @liamlundergan2751
    @liamlundergan2751 Před rokem +462

    When Thatchemist uploads a video, I always watch, laugh, learn, and get contacted by the authorities.

    • @themanhimself3
      @themanhimself3 Před rokem +18

      Every clandestine lab needs this hung up like a live, laugh, love sign.

  • @adrianhenle
    @adrianhenle Před rokem +362

    In grad school, I worked on a multi-step synthesis to make some goofy organophosphorous compound. I came up with a whole synthetic plan, which I'm certain would have worked, and started validating it with SciFinder searches of my intermediates. Long story short, it's worryingly easy to accidentally plan a process that involves distillation of sarin. Had to go back to the drawing board on that one...

    • @jhonbus
      @jhonbus Před rokem

      I'm kind of surprised terrorists aren't slaughtering thousands of people every day with some of these things, they don't appear like they'd be especially tricky to synthesise. I'd check, but that seems like it'd probably be a bad idea.
      Then again that cult that released sarin into the Tokyo subway seemed to have surprisingly poor results, and I seem to recall they had quite a lot of the stuff. But if someone made one of the less volatile ones and went round painting it on random touchable surfaces in a city... Jesus. Then again you could do the same with dimethylHg... Like I say, surprised this isn't happening all the time.

    • @ryangillespie123
      @ryangillespie123 Před rokem +67

      The person who discovered the compound probably thought the same thing.

    • @timidler2487
      @timidler2487 Před rokem +8

      That's why it's up there on the weaponized terrorist compounds watchlist.

    • @TwoTreesStudio
      @TwoTreesStudio Před rokem +32

      "goofy organophosphorous compound" literally describes everything on this list...all of your intermediaries are going to be completely fucked up
      also surprised nobody has mentioned phosgene in all of this tbh, and "organophosphate" is only mentioned once...whoever made this is either a bad chemist or intentionally covering up the info you'd need to develop a weapon even though it's widely understood

    • @sparks6177
      @sparks6177 Před rokem +57

      @@TwoTreesStudio well considering he explained very detailed compounds and history of said compounds, yet obscured any actionable information I’m going to say it was deliberate. The non chemists watching don’t get it anyway and the chemist that are watching already know, so better just let the 3rd group (amateur chemists trying to make chemical weapons) In the dark as long as possible, if anyone wants to know how to do it they can make the google search themselves.

  • @deusvult7296
    @deusvult7296 Před rokem +43

    I remember going through the nerve agent chamber, even though they make sure your all sealed up and fine its still pretty scary

  • @chrismac2234
    @chrismac2234 Před rokem +114

    I'm a retired nuclear biological and chemical warfare specialist. I love little videos like this. Good for civi awareness.

    • @That_Chemist
      @That_Chemist  Před rokem +13

      Thank you 🙏

    • @davenoi
      @davenoi Před rokem +11

      🧢🧢🧢

    • @Shadow.behind.mountains
      @Shadow.behind.mountains Před rokem +1

      CBRN?

    • @chrismac2234
      @chrismac2234 Před rokem +11

      @@Shadow.behind.mountains UK forces, ye that's the acronym used these days. They change repeatedly.

    • @demoncbr9981
      @demoncbr9981 Před rokem +3

      Y’all ever use a hapsite? If not, what did you use in the field for analysis?

  • @LogieD223
    @LogieD223 Před rokem +612

    Oh man. Sarin/GB in D tier. How much worse do these things get? This list is going to be interesting

    • @That_Chemist
      @That_Chemist  Před rokem +65

      I hope you enjoy :)

    • @livedandletdie
      @livedandletdie Před rokem +49

      Sarin is treatable... so is VX, but some of the others aren't as easily treatable... Because the no no chemicals far outlive any treatment drug, and the treatment drugs would kill you in the first place before they could treat you.

    • @LogieD223
      @LogieD223 Před rokem +11

      @@livedandletdie as I found out watching the rest of the video. But also “easily treatable” isn’t correct since you have to be treated within minutes to survive VX or GB

    • @garethjones6342
      @garethjones6342 Před rokem +13

      man I had NO Idea an agent even existed that was easier to understand using femtomolars instead of regular old mcg/ml. because I guess 10x^-15 its a bit hard for our brains to comprehend.
      I suppose individual atoms of certain radioactive elements some how ending up in vital tissue are "kinda bad".
      its all just so far outside my existence and (hopefully) always will be

    • @jhonbus
      @jhonbus Před rokem +23

      @@garethjones6342 Imagine doing the LD50 testing and going back for the third time dividing down after the entire sample population died immediately _again_
      Then thinking "Maaaybe I should have been being more careful with this one this whole time..."

  • @heyitskyriii9815
    @heyitskyriii9815 Před rokem +16

    as someone who is currently a chemical corps soldier, this stuff will mess up the world if used incorrectly

    • @heyitskyriii9815
      @heyitskyriii9815 Před rokem +4

      Also forgot to add that yes as a Chem soldier we do get exposed during training to being used to working within environments laced with nerve agents. But for the most part the popular chemical we use is just cs

  • @appallokelley3207
    @appallokelley3207 Před rokem +6

    My grandfather had nerve agents tested on him . He lost his mind and spent the rest of his life in a mental hospital. The military is great . 😐

  • @TaosoftheVoid
    @TaosoftheVoid Před rokem +282

    As someone with no background in chemistry or nerve agents: this all sounded scary to me. Thanks for the new fear! 10/10 would watch again!

    • @pieterveenders9793
      @pieterveenders9793 Před rokem +20

      Wait untill you read up on bacterial toxins, they make even the very worst organophosphates look cute. Bacterial toxins are the most potent naturally occuring toxins on earth, the most potent of which, Botulinum neurotoxin A is 1.000-10.000x more deadly than the most potent nerve agent. Just 5 grams, if evenly divided among everyone is enough to kill every human on earth. And many other bacterial toxins are insanely potent as well, lethal in sub-microgram dosages.

    • @mr.infernal1380
      @mr.infernal1380 Před rokem +3

      @@pieterveenders9793 What may be the reason for that lethality?
      Is it beacuse they attack something specific or they behave in some weird way.

    • @scruffyryan
      @scruffyryan Před rokem +12

      You don't get less scared of it by studying chemistry. You just get more horrified.

    • @asgerrbergkristensen7410
      @asgerrbergkristensen7410 Před rokem

      @@pieterveenders9793 Wait is botulinum neurotoxin the same as botox? The stuff people INJECT INTO THEIR FACE???

  • @pipolwes000
    @pipolwes000 Před rokem +914

    TMTFA sounds like it would be one of the few chemicals that's lethal even at homeopathic concentrations

    • @PS-vk6bn
      @PS-vk6bn Před rokem +1

      I wonder, if it is even more toxic than botulinum toxin!? ☠🤔

    • @likemau5552
      @likemau5552 Před rokem +22

      It propably is

    • @livedandletdie
      @livedandletdie Před rokem

      I mean if we say that we're generous and 1 Mol^-15 per kg is ld50 then if you had a 1 mol/l solution, you could wipe out all of humanity, 8×10^9 and we were generous and said every human weighed 100kg, then you could kill all of humanity 1250 times in a row.

    • @kolokol7796
      @kolokol7796 Před rokem +84

      ​@@likemau5552 It's not "That" bad, actually. Firstly, AChE inhibition constants and lethal dosages are not as strongly correlated as some would believe. Secondly, there are more things that govern toxicity than just enzyme inhibition kinetics (For instance, pharmacodynamics, whether the agent is readily hydrolysed in the body, etc). Thirdly, one of the papers dealing with TMTFA did test its toxicity on mice. By intraperitoneal injection, it was "only" around the same order of magnitude as sodium cyanide. So, definitely not something you would want to get in you, but also not on the level of something like Sarin or VX.

    • @garethjones6342
      @garethjones6342 Před rokem

      at proper homeopathic levels, if you somehow properly synthesized it, even the presence of a SINGLE molecule of active compond is like winning the lottary.
      thats how bullshit homeopathy is; like TMTFA; hard to even comprehend

  • @Pete856
    @Pete856 Před rokem +26

    Growing up on a farm, some of the chemicals we used were scary, as was the way some farmers out there handled them without any protective clothing or respirators. Common insecticide use against soil borne pests were Terufos and Phorate, they were sold under different brand names, the LD50 on some of them was around 1mg/Kg. This scares the hell out of me, a tenth of a gram inhaled or swallowed and you're dead (dermal numbers were only slightly higher), I don't go near anything that toxic.

  • @s208richard8
    @s208richard8 Před rokem +6

    Many pharmacies in the UK countryside keep stocks of Atropine and 2-PAM, just in case farmers were poisoned. Happened a few times each year.

  • @linuxguy1199
    @linuxguy1199 Před rokem +82

    Weellllllcome back, I'm That chemist and today we'll be doing a speedrun to the top of the No-Fly list!

  • @Zer0xChan
    @Zer0xChan Před rokem +199

    The added fun with Soman is that it quickly irreversibly binds to the nerve receptors so normal nerve agent antidotes don't function that well. One of the reasons p-tabs exist

    • @saddish2816
      @saddish2816 Před rokem +13

      Whats p tabs.

    • @MrBii03
      @MrBii03 Před rokem

      @@saddish2816 an anti nerve agent pill that was used to help stop soman when it was used in the gulf war

    • @panykfelidae9018
      @panykfelidae9018 Před rokem +45

      P tabs are another festive example of "the treatment is terrifying enough to make you run screaming from the cause"

    • @TitaniusAnglesmith
      @TitaniusAnglesmith Před rokem +6

      @@panykfelidae9018 Aight I'm gonna look up P-tabs...
      Edit: Oh it's PB. How is that horrible?

    • @thecoolnerdplaysvr5674
      @thecoolnerdplaysvr5674 Před rokem +3

      @@TitaniusAnglesmith look ag ghe symptoms. Muscle weakness. Breathing issues. Can be lethal if quit suddenly

  • @Sir0fficerNasty
    @Sir0fficerNasty Před rokem +13

    My science teacher used to be a weapons expert and chemist in the army. He told us stories about testing VX. Scary af.

  • @whoshotashleybabbitt4924
    @whoshotashleybabbitt4924 Před rokem +14

    As a medical professional, i was really surprised to see neostigmine on there! Glad it got F tier

  • @jakep519
    @jakep519 Před rokem +188

    I used to work in a laboratory that did testing on nearly all of these compounds. While we were working with them we had these autoinjectors similar to an Epi-pen that were called Duodotes. They contained Atropine and another compound called 2-PAM that both worked together to counteract the effects of the nerve agents. One of the scariest ones is by far GD. It may not be nearly as toxic as the other ones, but because aging happens in a few minutes, by the time you would start getting symptoms of exposure it would be too late to get an antidote.
    I was responsible for making up some of the dosing solutions of these agents and would hand them off to someone that would give them to an animal. Even when an antidote was given to the animal, they would still have pretty severe symptoms. Its pretty brutal to see those kinds of things and its part of the reason I no longer work there. These compounds are no joke and I still have a pretty healthy fear of them. There's a reason they are banned.

    • @alflyover4413
      @alflyover4413 Před rokem

      Atropine for one thigh and 2-PAM Chloride for the other. Plus Pyridostigmine bromide tablets for pre-exposure prophylaxis. These are not cures. They are issued to the soldier for first-aid purposes to keep him or her alive long enough to be medevacked for treatment.

    • @taylorjacquez7451
      @taylorjacquez7451 Před rokem +2

      Sounds like a lot of fun!

    • @dreamcrusher112
      @dreamcrusher112 Před rokem +7

      @@taylorjacquez7451 animal abuse x100

  • @RelativelyBest
    @RelativelyBest Před rokem +268

    I like how even though the tiers only rank them in badness relative to each other, and even the F one is really scary, half of them still ended up in S and A.

  • @brandongauger4050
    @brandongauger4050 Před rokem +5

    CBRN/ACM Marine here. I miss this shit. Ironically, I miss having a job that NOBODY took seriously. Gas chambers are the butt of the joke, "what do you guys even do?" all that jazz. I look back at how I felt about that during my time in, how other Marines looked at our jobs, how we were treated at the command and in the S-3, and I feel so good about the work we accomplished then. We had a ragtag group of CBRN, Arty, Infantry, EOD, SEAL, and corpsman on our ACM team, doing incredibly important shit that nobody else knew or cared about. It felt very "secret squirrel" if you will. Or as secret squirrel as a bunch of dudes running around in level A suits with detection equipment can get. Every sector of Marine professionalism jam packed into a squad of people that could take on the worst shit man kind has ever invented. A truly thankless job, and I was proud to do it. We all were. Wish I still could be in that field doing what I loved. I miss my guys, I miss suiting up, I miss the thrill, the professionalism, the places we got to go, things we got to do. We traveled the world, visited 15+ countries teaching people our job, did real world detection and decon on some real nasty shit. The knowledge you HAD to have to do that job efficiently and keep people alive is something i am really proud of, and I'm glad to have spread that knowledge as much as we did. Everybody thought the gas chamber was just going through the motions, which in the world then and today, it was in a way during peacetime. But the basic fundamentals of CBRN gas chamber training to the normal Marine lays the groundwork for having that skillset. I just wish more people took it seriously. It is an incredibly fulfilling knowledge base to have even in everyday life dealing with household chemicals, knowing what chemicals are in the random trucks driving the roads, such a niche sector of knowledge to possess. I just wish in hindsight, that I continued pursing that after I got out.
    I'm being overdramatic, but God damn, being 10 years removed from that job, do I fucking miss it. It was so much fun being so good at what we did. Now we all have kids, live normal lives, work normal jobs. Life is fucking strange sometimes. At one point I had a ridiculously important job. Now I'm a nurse, and it just doesn't compare. I've let that time in my life go. Uniforms in a tote in the attic, some small things around the house from those days, pictures, challenge coins, what have you. I hadn't honestly thought about it in quite some time. Thanks for the video. I know that wasn't its intention, but thanks anyway.

    • @elpiedra1596
      @elpiedra1596 Před rokem +2

      Really cool!

    • @brandongauger4050
      @brandongauger4050 Před rokem +1

      @eL PieDra thanks! Very awesome section of my life that I hadn't really talked about in a decade.

  • @kevinmencer3782
    @kevinmencer3782 Před rokem +38

    Sarin should be higher up, not because it's deadly (even though it is), but because it's so damn easy to make.

    • @bruhgod123
      @bruhgod123 Před rokem +4

      ok tell me how to make it im gonna prank my friends with it

    • @seand.g423
      @seand.g423 Před rokem +3

      ​@@bruhgod123as if clicking this vid didn't put us on enough additional watch lists _already..._

    • @Ag3nt0fCha0s
      @Ag3nt0fCha0s Před 11 měsíci +5

      For God’s sake nobody tell him

    • @bruhgod123
      @bruhgod123 Před 11 měsíci

      @@Ag3nt0fCha0s tell me

    • @kartikpoojari22
      @kartikpoojari22 Před 8 měsíci +4

      ​@@bruhgod123A number of production pathways can be used to create sarin. The final reaction typically involves attachment of the isopropoxy group to the phosphorus with an alcoholysis with isopropyl alcohol. Two variants of this process are common. One is the reaction of methylphosphonyl difluoride with isopropyl alcohol, which produces a racemic mixture of sarin enantiomers with hydrofluoric acid as a byproduct.

  • @AnxietyAdvertisement
    @AnxietyAdvertisement Před rokem +716

    not into chemistry whatsoever nor do i know anything but this was thoroughly enjoyable, the way you describe how horrifying the agents are made me laugh🤣

    • @yehdssdgsdg7790
      @yehdssdgsdg7790 Před rokem +9

      Man said “holy HECK” 😅

    • @itsjustme7785
      @itsjustme7785 Před rokem +1

      💀💀💀

    • @AnxietyAdvertisement
      @AnxietyAdvertisement Před rokem +2

      @@yehdssdgsdg7790 had to revisit. “absolutely horrendous”

    • @musicalneptunian
      @musicalneptunian Před rokem +2

      I've spoken to serving military people: these nerve agents scare the living *^ out of them. I know there's atrophine. But you have to get to the atrophine in time or get your chemical suit on in time. You probably don't have that much time.

    • @ghostwriter1415
      @ghostwriter1415 Před rokem

      @@yehdssdgsdg7790 that was pretty funny! I laughed with you.

  • @agentvx8320
    @agentvx8320 Před rokem +432

    I feel personally attacked by this awesome video.

    • @That_Chemist
      @That_Chemist  Před rokem +52

      oh yeah haha

    • @agentvx8320
      @agentvx8320 Před rokem +43

      @@That_Chemist Finally someone I don't need to explain the pun in my name to lol

    • @yutudelickzolonskyyballs7146
      @yutudelickzolonskyyballs7146 Před rokem +2

      @@agentvx8320 you need to thanks him for explaining your alas
      Plz be nice

    • @featherweighthate
      @featherweighthate Před rokem +6

      @@yutudelickzolonskyyballs7146 what a name

    • @markshort9098
      @markshort9098 Před rokem

      @@agentvx8320 I'd think everyone watching this understands your name, I'm only an amateur chemist with no formal training and it was clear to me

  • @FlaminDuster3772
    @FlaminDuster3772 Před rokem +3

    15:28 The fact that I can't find any detailed information about this gas, really makes it seem extremely dangerous to even know about its existence.

  • @andrewmiller3017
    @andrewmiller3017 Před rokem +15

    Hopefully in 20 years we WON'T have a new tier list involving nerve agents and how evil they are. Maybe I'm just living in a dream though.

    • @MrGible
      @MrGible Před 3 dny

      Naaaahhhhh, CIA gonna have a new DLC here soon.

  • @jimsmind3894
    @jimsmind3894 Před rokem +238

    Morally questionable chemistry is a scary subject! Great vid!

    • @That_Chemist
      @That_Chemist  Před rokem +12

      Thank you!

    • @LieseFury
      @LieseFury Před rokem

      what exactly is questionable about these chemicals? this is actual evil.
      edit: except for the medicine one

    • @EVL_GRN
      @EVL_GRN Před rokem +8

      waltuh

    • @everythingsalright1121
      @everythingsalright1121 Před rokem +8

      I feel like morally questionable and nerve agents arent phrases that go together. I think "morally horrifying" is more appropriate

    • @benjaminb6678
      @benjaminb6678 Před rokem +1

      I don’t think nerve agents are even remotely morally questionable.

  • @petersmythe6462
    @petersmythe6462 Před rokem +129

    I like how you're like "ok, this one takes a whole drop to be lethal, can eventually evaporate, and can only be absorbed through the skin a little bit. F tier useless trash."

  • @blatinobear
    @blatinobear Před rokem +5

    Finished watching NileRed make cherry and grape sodas and now the algorithm decided it’s time to teach me the human atrocities tier list 💀

  • @emailsammich
    @emailsammich Před rokem +4

    love how a research for a roleplay I'm planning for my friend led me to this and probably me ending up on a watchlist :D

  • @SlurMaster9000
    @SlurMaster9000 Před rokem +54

    Damn. Who'd have thought that Electronic Arts is only the second most evil "EA"?

    • @LadyGoof
      @LadyGoof Před 11 měsíci

      It even has its own Sarin as an antagonist

  • @mikaeels2691
    @mikaeels2691 Před rokem +63

    I've always wondered how they knew some of these are tasteless and odorless

    • @That_Chemist
      @That_Chemist  Před rokem +33

      This tbh

    • @unnamellie
      @unnamellie Před rokem +9

      They tasted it
      I laughed a month ago because in my chem materials acids were described as having the acidic taste. Like, it makes sense, but I can't imagine being that scientist who decided to chug some HNO3 (I don't know what it's called in English, sorry)

    • @bulletghost3452
      @bulletghost3452 Před rokem +2

      @@unnamellie when people describe a "Acidic taste" I always imagine squeezing a lime on your tongue. That is probably how you can best describe it.

    • @unnamellie
      @unnamellie Před rokem +6

      @@bulletghost3452 you need to make sure that all acids are acidic👀

    • @LautloseLebwerwurst3000
      @LautloseLebwerwurst3000 Před rokem +5

      @@unnamellie the German name for acid is "Säure", which very literally means "sourness"
      Also, our anorganic chemistry prof told us that beryllium was first named glucium for its sweet taste

  • @SpaceW-
    @SpaceW- Před rokem +3

    Idk why i have been recommended this video consistently since you uploaded it but I finally gave it a watch, understood nothing you said, and am still horrified. Well done!
    Also I guess I’m part of the watchlist too now

  • @CantoraMask
    @CantoraMask Před rokem +5

    I was under the impression that the "G" is derived from the German word "Gifte," which means "poisons" in English.
    The G-series nerve agents were developed by the German military during World War II, and they are named using a combination of generally two letters except in specific cases like GBS where the S stands for sulfur)

  • @polsefanten
    @polsefanten Před rokem +101

    Two popular theories as to why Hitler refused to allow the use of chemical weapons during WWII: He'd himself been a victim of gas attacks in the first world war and thus thought they were too horrible to use, and the second reason is that German high command knew the allies themselves also had chemical weapons and feared retaliation if they were used.

    • @PantsofVance
      @PantsofVance Před rokem

      Hitler also ordered all German bunkers to be fitted with quick access to showers in case German soldiers got gassed. Didn't stop him from using it to mass murder the "undesirables".

    • @polsefanten
      @polsefanten Před rokem

      @@PantsofVance Of course, very little about the nazi leadership made any logical sense. Gas too horrible to be used on soldiers but A-OK to be used on civilians; bunch of mad men.

    • @EkonEzg
      @EkonEzg Před rokem +10

      Nah he used it all up on Jews

    • @rekamud6635
      @rekamud6635 Před rokem

      @@EkonEzg Yes but is that any reason not to donate it to ukraine? You have to take the booster, its the only safe way against the russian covid.

    • @spookyskeleton4977
      @spookyskeleton4977 Před rokem +6

      Yeah, you're forgetting a group of people he did use it against

  • @htomerif
    @htomerif Před rokem +146

    What's most scary to me is that you only have to get in the ballpark of any of those molecules. You've got two functional groups that you can mix and match and basically any combination of them makes an acetylcholinesterase inhibitor.

    • @That_Chemist
      @That_Chemist  Před rokem +38

      100%

    • @maitres-chez-nous5609
      @maitres-chez-nous5609 Před rokem +1

      😨😨

    • @SwitchTF2
      @SwitchTF2 Před rokem

      What a load of bullshit. Without field data nothing is a chemical weapon. There's reams of de novo drug design studies that go nowhere, because functionality is not as simple as organic chemists believe. Go learn some pharmacology before making these claims.

    • @SwitchTF2
      @SwitchTF2 Před rokem

      @@That_Chemist what a joke

    • @htomerif
      @htomerif Před rokem +4

      @@SwitchTF2 Cool hubris, bro.
      Just listen to what you're saying: "because these compounds have not been characterized, they're not dangerous".
      Please never step foot in a lab.
      To be clear, almost all of these neurotoxins have two parts: something to effectively permanently bind to one of the active sites on acetocholinesterase and something to sterically block the rest of the active region of it.
      Let me make one up for you: throw a bunch of isopropane groups on a nitrogen and bond it via an oxygen to, I don't know, lets say a dimethylcyclohexane. Any dimethylcyclohexane. Take your pick.
      I'll give you a dollar to breathe it. Its not a chemical weapon, right? "Without field data nothing is a chemical weapon." right? Dollar not enough? How about a trillion dollars? The moon? Literally doesn't matter from my point of view because you're not gonna be collecting.
      @That Chemist what odds would you put on my nonsense molecule being recognized as GRAS? Would you take a biggo sniff of it?

  • @Nemazares
    @Nemazares Před 11 měsíci +4

    Its for a friend

  • @chillchica9626
    @chillchica9626 Před rokem +1

    I used to live in Harford County (HarCo) MD, where Edgewood is. Edgewood Arsenal is a part of Aberdeen Proving Grounds (APG) and the different outposts of APG (there are three that I know of) are big employers in northern HarCo and Maryland in general. They all do research on weapons and other things for the military.
    I when I lived in HarCo I worked at a little local museum and we did a exhibit celebrating 100 years of APG back in 2017. We had different people come in and talk about different projects that they worked on. Or at least, as much as they could. A lot of things were still either classified, or were just uncomfortable to speak about to larger groups of people so they were vaugely covered. One of the people who came in was someone from Edgewood who worked on the chemical weapons projects.
    His overall speech was really good and just cover how the chemical weapons research lead to develop of other tech in other areas like solider protection, but I honestly don't remember a ton about it. What I do remember however is afterwards when he was just hanging out with just me and the museum staff talking more in depth. He told us about how when they tested some of the chemical the way they did it was to put the men in like, a trailer, with a gas mask, and then set off the chemical. Then he talked about how one time HE volunteered to try it.
    He told us how it was way worse than he thought it would be. He thought that the safety gear and filters would help and I guess make it not bad. He apparently way over estimated how much they would midegate the effects. He also noted that his was angry with him, which idk why that part stuck with me. He also switched to the development of defense against the chemicals after because he couldn't handle being in the weapons development after he did a test.
    APG does and has done a lot, and I mean A LOT of testing. On everything from chemicals, to bio weapons to vehicles and artillery pieces. They have the different outposts for different things. On days with think cloud cover you can hear the artillery tests for MILES booming around the Chesapeake Bay. And they test a lot of things that would make a lot of people uncomfortable. Like when they tested the chemicals. But in MD, we look the other way. Not only because places like APG, Fort Mead, Andrew AFB, the Navy Med research center are all huge employers in the state, not to mention you dont really get a choice if the military says they're putting a base somewhere; but also because of the same reason the speaker gave as to why he originally was okay with the weapons tests. Is it horrible? Yes. But it's better for us to have the tech first know that it does and hie it acts, how to ID it, etc., before anyone else does. Because then we can counter it. But the question then becomes well, now you have created it in the first place. Why. It wouldn't have existed otherwise. It was horrible and is horrible and whats the end point to the game of one up.
    Bonus Story: Living in MD and especially HarCo you can meet and talk to a lot of people who work or worked at APG. This is one of those stories.
    I had a bio professor in college (the same time I worked at the museum actually) who had interned at one of the bio labs at APG when he was in college. One of the first tasks he was given was a simple go-for task. Clean out this old deep freezer that was rarely opened and to store old samples from old tests.
    There were lists of the samples that were supposed to be in the fridge, but because it was basically acting like that old extern harddrive you through in the drawer and forget about until you clean, the list was a relative thing. Some things might have been removed years ago and not taken off the list, and things in the freezer might have been left off by accident or oversight.
    Well, my teacher was working his way through the freezer and was almost done sorting things when he found a few viles of something that were not on the list and didn't have clear labels. He took them to his boss who through some process managed to figure out it was an old labeling format for Smallpox. Smallpox that that lab wasn't supposed to have. Apparently they had to call the military and CDC to come get the samples. They somehow managed to keep it under wraps but apparently things like that have happened a few times. It was just neat to meet a person involved in on of those cases.
    Bonus bonus: APG also got in trouble for really loose and sloppy handling of anthrax and plague samples as well, and that is at least part of the reason the US military has said they are no longer doing biologic weapons research (at least publicly).

  • @Hernia347
    @Hernia347 Před rokem +146

    Would definitely be interested in hearing more about the Edgewood Arsenal stuff I had no idea... Great insight as always.

    • @MootingInsanity
      @MootingInsanity Před rokem +15

      'Horrible things done by the government' is a hell of a rabbithole

    • @pyropulseIXXI
      @pyropulseIXXI Před rokem

      @@MootingInsanity I don't get why people are surprised of this; governments are evil by their very nature. They'll send thousands upon thousands of men to die just to benefit a super small elite class. Lives mean nothing to them, other than what they can get out of them for their own profit

    • @gordman6432
      @gordman6432 Před rokem

      Same. I totally believe it happened but I’d like to hear about it

    • @ಠಎಠ
      @ಠಎಠ Před rokem +1

      Holmesburg prison. That's where most of the "volunteers" came from

    • @PS-vk6bn
      @PS-vk6bn Před rokem +7

      See also "Project ARTICHOKE" and "MKULTRA" for more unethical stuff (this time conducted by the CIA).

  • @PwdrdTstMn
    @PwdrdTstMn Před rokem +219

    ICU/OR RN back again,
    Neostigmine is used A LOT in critical care/anesthesia medicine. It's one of the most cost-effective and efficient reversal agents for paralytics. Rocuronium, Vecuronium, succs, all reversed by Neostigmine within 60 seconds, usually less than that. Another one is Suggamadex. Also, definitely make a deep dive on Eastwood Armory please

    • @GordonMusliman
      @GordonMusliman Před rokem +105

      What about you suggama dix??

    • @AA-gl1dr
      @AA-gl1dr Před rokem +9

      @@GordonMusliman classic

    • @balllord3546
      @balllord3546 Před rokem +4

      funny chemical name

    • @jj_verona
      @jj_verona Před rokem +1

      @@GordonMusliman holy shit dude ya fuckin killed them

    • @richardwiersma
      @richardwiersma Před rokem +21

      Just googled sugamadex cause I thought it was a joke. It's fukcin' real!!

  • @richardcochrane1966
    @richardcochrane1966 Před rokem +4

    My thoughts (still) on the Novichok attack on Salisbury;
    1) At least six people were contaminated by the chemical - one died - to quote one puzzled UK expert, when told Novichok had been named as the agent used, "Novichok kills - period!"
    2) If you are going to use it, do you fly the chemical hundreds, if not thousands of miles from Russia, when one slip will kill you instead of your target, or try and get some from Porton Down Chemical Research facility, less than 10 miles from Salisbury?

  • @wmxpodcast8589
    @wmxpodcast8589 Před rokem +4

    I didn’t watch the full video. I just needed to the know the S tiers. But thank you for making this 😊

  • @Gilberto90
    @Gilberto90 Před rokem +145

    VX was apparently so important that it was rumoured to have been given by Britain to the United States as part of quid pro quo for information/designs for Thermonuclear weapons.
    Also Porton Down laboratory in Britain also conducted human experimentation with nerve agents (including at least one death found by a coroner's inquest in 2004 to have been unlawful) so you could include that with any Edgeworth Arsenal material.

  • @PS-vk6bn
    @PS-vk6bn Před rokem +125

    If you want to see the effects of a nerve agent in action, just use insect spray on a mosquito.The mode of action is pretty much the same, with the difference that the compounds of the insecticides are optimized to inhibit/block insect acetylcholinesterase (an enzyme which breaks down the neurotransmitter acetylcholin), while nerve agents are good at blocking human acetylcholinesterase.

    • @joeylawn36111
      @joeylawn36111 Před rokem +37

      Better yet - on a wasp. They'll constantly flap their wings very rapidly, but can't fly. They've lost total control of all body functions.

    • @guyincognito.
      @guyincognito. Před rokem +14

      Correct. The most common insecticides work by disrupting the nerve sodium / potassium ion channels rather than acetylcholinesterase inhibition, but with the same result.

    • @2fathomsdeeper
      @2fathomsdeeper Před rokem +5

      Try pyrethrin on fleas! They'll get one short jump and land twitching for about 20 seconds. Doing the Afghani Fish Dance! (What the Russians said about Afghan rebels after getting hit by Soman.)

    • @kid_missive
      @kid_missive Před rokem

      @@2fathomsdeeper you are gross.

    • @joeylawn36111
      @joeylawn36111 Před rokem +1

      @@guyincognito. Good point. I'm sure that's because cholinesterase inhibitors are generally way too toxic for consumer use.

  • @Grummash
    @Grummash Před rokem

    Excellent video... so much detail! 👏👏👏👏

  • @Sammysapphira
    @Sammysapphira Před rokem +3

    Topics like these always make me so nervous

  • @AdventuringJD
    @AdventuringJD Před rokem +65

    I did some training with an agency where we underwent live-agent hazmat operations. It was 4 days of classroom learning, and 1 day of in the field. We had to have all of our masks and filters inspected, and then double and triple verified by computer measurements. We went into areas with VX, Sarin and GB gasses/exposure. And when they said “Oh yeah, by the way, this stuff isn’t even anywhere near the worst out there.” That just kind of hit different.
    Edited to add: Yes, VX is a 10/10 on this list. But theres also other nerve agents that make your death even more unpleasant. Just for some reference, in the proper environment, with the proper conditions and carrier, a single drop of VX gas the size of the tip of a needle, could kill over 3000 people.

    • @raydiaz2772
      @raydiaz2772 Před rokem +6

      Humanity for inventing such horrific things to kill each other is arguably worse than the chemicals itself.

    • @Lucas_sGarage
      @Lucas_sGarage Před rokem +4

      The fact that humanity created this to kill each other makes me lose all the hope i had left in humanity...

  • @igorsokolenko6144
    @igorsokolenko6144 Před rokem +72

    The G stands for "German (agent)", you learn this in Army CBRN training at Nord Hall in AIT. This was done because those agents were discovered during WW2 in the possession of the Germans as the Allies invaded.

    • @timtmtm7689
      @timtmtm7689 Před rokem +3

      Yeah i was confused why the G would stand for the Former German Chancellor(1990-1998) Gerhard Schröder, makes alot more sense

    • @sylux7998
      @sylux7998 Před rokem +12

      @@timtmtm7689 I was puzzled too so I looked it up. He didn't mean Gerhard Schröder but the German chemist Gerhard Schrader. Apparently he was called "The father of the nerve agents".

    • @airplanemaniacgaming7877
      @airplanemaniacgaming7877 Před rokem +8

      @@sylux7998 What is with Germany and having the fathers of two things banned by the Geneva Convention be from there?

    • @llamatreee
      @llamatreee Před rokem +13

      @@airplanemaniacgaming7877 They’re just incredible at making things.

  • @joannabusinessaccount7293

    Thank you so much for making this video. You have no idea who the audience may be, and how we can use this to better the human condition as well as the earth's condition and all living animals / plants. Thank you again, from the bottom of my heart.

  • @A1509MDIX
    @A1509MDIX Před 3 měsíci

    Appreciate the information.
    I was a CBRN Defence Specialist in the USMC and chemical warfare agents has always been my weakest understanding.
    The more I can study on these and how to combat them, the better.

  • @samblackstone3400
    @samblackstone3400 Před rokem +34

    When you see a three fluorides on the same carbon connected to a ring with a charged group that’s when you know shit is getting real.

    • @That_Chemist
      @That_Chemist  Před rokem +18

      Yeah that bad boy is so effing electrophilic

    • @samblackstone3400
      @samblackstone3400 Před rokem +11

      @@That_Chemist
      It’s literally off the chart on my molecule modeling program lmao. It can’t render the electron density correctly.

    • @SportyMabamba
      @SportyMabamba Před rokem +5

      @@That_Chemist noooo my electrons D:

    • @liam3284
      @liam3284 Před rokem +1

      all your electrons are belong to us

    • @andresmartinezramos7513
      @andresmartinezramos7513 Před rokem

      @@liam3284 lmao

  • @a.ziegler6010
    @a.ziegler6010 Před rokem +98

    1, Cyclosarin is less potent compare to sarin
    2, Soman belongs in S tier - even tho it is not as toxic as some of the other agents, but the main kicker for it is that it is extremely hard to treat due to the rate at which aging (the loss of the alkoxy group ) which renders it resistant to oxime antidotes. Normal effective window for treatment for other agents are around few hours. Soman? 5 minutes 😬
    3, In V series, the thiol is the leaving group, not the alkoxy group (I.e. in VX, the leaving group is diisopropylaminoethanthiol)
    Hope this helps

    • @EnjoyCocaColaLight
      @EnjoyCocaColaLight Před rokem +5

      Thank you, Doctor Ziegler.

    • @edi9892
      @edi9892 Před rokem

      Technically, both are leaving groups
      I guess their hydrolysis rate is as follows
      Cl
      F
      SR
      OR
      NR2
      The fact that two groups can split off makes binding to ACE irreversible...
      EDIT: Cl and F had a mix-up.

    • @a.ziegler6010
      @a.ziegler6010 Před rokem +3

      @@edi9892 The leaving group in this case is what causes the phosphonylation of the serine residue in AChE, in this case the thiol - the loss of alkoxy group is not the mechanism for its toxicity, but merely how hard it is to reverse a poisoned enzyme molecule.
      2nd remark is incorrect unfortunately - fluoride is a much weaker leaving group than chloride. The reason why a weaker leaving group resulting in higher toxicity is that less of the inhibitor gets inactivated by nucleophiles within the body such as water, before reaching the intended target, AChE. Once reaching the target, the catalytic triad would still be able to eliminate the weaker leaving group due to lower activation energy resulted from stabilization of transition state intermediate

    • @edi9892
      @edi9892 Před rokem +1

      @@a.ziegler6010 Thanks for the clarification. I already noticed that I might be wrong, but I wrote this comment at 3:00 in the night... (sleep problems)

    • @a.ziegler6010
      @a.ziegler6010 Před rokem +2

      @@edi9892 lmaooooo nah its alg, I feel you tho, what a mood

  • @sgordon57xx
    @sgordon57xx Před 8 měsíci

    Being a CBRN specialist in the USMC and a technician now, this was a pretty great video/tier list. 👏

  • @Ethan888li
    @Ethan888li Před rokem +2

    2am on a weekday and I’m so glad I now know the best/worst nerve agents!

  • @Connie.T.
    @Connie.T. Před rokem +33

    I'm a public safety and environmental science major, and I appreciate how you avoid the sensationalism I've seen from far too many science channels. Everybody is correct that the hazard severity is extreme, but the vulnerability is nearly non-existent for 99% of ppl, meaning the overall risk is marginal at most. Some CZcamsrs are willing to make soccer moms think their local suburban mall is imminent to be fumigated if it gets them clicks. I just wanna make sure it's clear that the chances of this being relevant to the average person is incalculably small.

    • @That_Chemist
      @That_Chemist  Před rokem +15

      The crazy thing is one bad actor could do terrible things - that is the scary part

    • @kaboom4679
      @kaboom4679 Před rokem

      The real trick with most of these is producing them without snuffing your own candle in the process .
      And that has happened on more than one occasion with terrorists .
      You know you have made some poor life choices when Karma AND Murphy personally hand you your Darwin Award .

  • @upstate4288
    @upstate4288 Před rokem +235

    Sad anyone would ever purposefully make a cocktail of death. Not just death but absolute suffering. I can only imagine those poor people they experimented on. It’s what nightmares are made of. What you mentioned reminded me of unit 731 from Japan. After reading about it I couldn’t sleep for 2 weeks.

    • @taekwondotime
      @taekwondotime Před rokem

      To counter the enemies cocktail of death. It's warfare. The alternative is being conquered and having your people destroyed.

    • @addaustin6730
      @addaustin6730 Před rokem +4

      Rarely used, they keep getting designed and tested for defensive reason... the Geneva convention is just paper after all.

    • @thepewplace1370
      @thepewplace1370 Před rokem

      @@addaustin6730 when Hitler is afraid to use them, you know you've got something appallingly bad on your hands

    • @shepardice3775
      @shepardice3775 Před rokem

      @@AlphaCarinae The "need" doesn't exist. There's never any reason to use nerve agents, or any chemical weaponry, against a group of people.

    • @shepardice3775
      @shepardice3775 Před rokem +15

      @@addaustin6730Unless you're literally being invaded, any "defensive" excuse is bullshit

  • @justinbain3091
    @justinbain3091 Před rokem

    I find your videos fascinating. Even tho I don't understand the chemistry it's so interesting to learn about.

  • @CharlieApples
    @CharlieApples Před rokem +2

    I’m so glad the algorithm brought me to this. What a great scientific breakdown. 10/10

  • @michaelm6597
    @michaelm6597 Před rokem +171

    Also this is probably one of the first times I have heard new chemistry terms like "quatranary anilibrium" 15:21 and im glad he does not use layman's terms because I get to expand my chemistry vocabulary.

  • @dwavenminer
    @dwavenminer Před rokem +34

    *Flicks through mentioned book*
    Well, that terrifying...now the question, where to rank it alongside the other terrifying things:
    -How deadly mixing household cleaning products is
    -How easy it is to produce materials that undergo "high energy decomposition at speed"
    -How easy it is to buy reasonably radioactive substances, sometimes without even knowing it
    -Taxes

    • @That_Chemist
      @That_Chemist  Před rokem +16

      I don’t even mention the worst contents of the book for good reason

    • @bulletghost3452
      @bulletghost3452 Před rokem

      I know something about getting radioactive products, there is this pseudo sciene conspiracy theory crazed category of products that do "Negative-5g, Negative ion" which are actually radioactive. Crazy to think they could sell that lol.

    • @dwavenminer
      @dwavenminer Před rokem

      @@bulletghost3452 the anti 5G angle was just a pivot, beforehand they were putting the thorium compound (waste product of mining something else, I forget what) into skin creams which were sold at those "health" shops (the ones that also sell homeopathic remedies) as a "cure" to skin cancer...yes you did read that correctly...

    • @Hellsong89
      @Hellsong89 Před rokem +1

      "How deadly mixing household cleaning products is" Deadly/hilarious.. close enough. Few years back took upon my self to research why gf had some health issues after cleaning the toilet with bleach from... cat urine.... Yeah her face was pretty priceless when i told her that she essentially went trough military chemical warfare training. Thankfully door was open whole time and amounts didnt exceed other than skin and eye irritation. Now i know to just spray the bleach, run and close the door until fumes have dissipated.
      For the rest, that information is rather common if you lurk on questionable sites and already are under abc agencies watch list... Not that i actually use this information to anything crazy, but its good to know to help protect ones self against them and more over to tell people who want to ban anything supposedly dangerous that its futile since you can make it from stuff that cannot be regulated at all.

    • @KaitouKaiju
      @KaitouKaiju Před rokem

      @@Hellsong89 Use something that isn't bleach instead and you can clean it safely

  • @zihames8579
    @zihames8579 Před rokem +1

    Love channels like these that teach you on obscure things in fun ways, kind of reminds me of nilered.

  • @ICUPositivity
    @ICUPositivity Před rokem +1

    Hey thanks for adding me to the watchlist, hope they show good movies 🙂👍

  • @3.6Roentgenn
    @3.6Roentgenn Před rokem +10

    As a person that collects and studies CBRN-E personal protection equipment, if a nerve agent was ever used, I would just give up. It is nearly impossible to protect from them As a civilian. .

  • @stickyfox
    @stickyfox Před rokem +176

    I can attest to the terrifying aspect. I went thru the CDTF at FLW MO. The first day is fun, splashing around cleaning up simulated chemical weapons in a variety of settings. The second day when they open the container and the alarms in the area start going off is a totally different vibe.

    • @khub5660
      @khub5660 Před rokem +5

      They split it into 2 days now? I did all of it in one

    • @stickyfox
      @stickyfox Před rokem +15

      ​@@khub5660 I was there shortly after the 9/11 attacks and my class was a mix of BNCOC, 20/30 transition (like me), air marshals, and SF students so I'm sure I didn't get the normal treatment.

    • @donm9090
      @donm9090 Před rokem +18

      Nothing like that cold shower afterwards when the fear of death sets in just a little too late. Most people probably don't understand what it really means to say the army provides you with clothes to go in there and it's easier for them to just burn it all afterwards, from just having been in the same room as individual droplets of nerve agents.

    • @stickyfox
      @stickyfox Před rokem +11

      @@donm9090 The night before CDTF is like, "they said you have to keep your face shaved to get a good mask seal, but they just told me not to shave tomorrow morning.... they said we have to burn contaminated MOPP gear, but today they told us they use the suits seven times...."

    • @donm9090
      @donm9090 Před rokem +17

      @@stickyfox You don't shave because they can't let you in with even so much as a slight razor burn cause damaged skin is a risk they can't take. Skin contact with a single drop of NA is enough to kill most people, damaged skin would have any vapor stick to it and get inside your skin better. Gas masks will seal with something like ¼-½" of facial hair. As far as what they burn goes, mopp is like $1k a set so it would make sense if they clean and reuse them at least a couple times, but eventually they'll be burned and replaced. Mopp has a field use time limit of about 4 hours iirc so that's probably when they burn the mopp gear, after it's been used enough times to get close to the 4 hours use. Everything underneath isn't nearly worth enough money to be cost effective to clean even once.

  • @At0mix
    @At0mix Před rokem +12

    The quaternary anilinium ones are definitely scary, but since they're salts they're non-volatile and probably won't absorb through the skin very well. So they're not as scary to me as those Sarin/VX-type motifs.

  • @triple_gem_shining
    @triple_gem_shining Před rokem +1

    Wicked! Thanks for everything you do.

  • @JoeSmoPedro
    @JoeSmoPedro Před rokem +70

    I was honestly a bit surprised you mentioned some of the history of how a couple chemicals were used but not Sarin cuz it was infamously used by that one Japanese doomsday cult in an attack on a subway. To be fair though, this was my first video of yours I've seen and I wasn't expecting it to be more about the chemical properties than the history of their use! It was very informative regardless even if I didn't understand some of the terminology

    • @mandowarrior123
      @mandowarrior123 Před rokem +7

      I think he expected everyone to know about sarin.

    • @herewego6343
      @herewego6343 Před rokem +5

      Aum Shinrikyo. The leader of the cult was actually executed fairly recently.
      They tried a bunch of different neurotic ways to use nerve/chemical agents in their attacks. IIRC they once tried to shoot a bunch of botulinum into the air via the exhaust port of a car.

    • @potatosquad120
      @potatosquad120 Před rokem

      Sarin was used in syria

  • @CatboyChemicalSociety
    @CatboyChemicalSociety Před rokem +54

    u know these scary things about Quaternary amines makes me more cautious now when preparing anion exchange membranes because one of the steps involve treating the surface full of amines with methylating agents like methyl iodide to form quaternary amines which make me wonder if some of these may break apart and form terrifying compounds.

    • @That_Chemist
      @That_Chemist  Před rokem +34

      Oh my gosh you are actually right - I didn’t even think of the ion membrane researchers!!!

    • @panykfelidae9018
      @panykfelidae9018 Před rokem +16

      One of the most exciting parts of an orgo lab class... the sentence "You add this drop wise, because in the presence of, eh, twenty degree above room heat the product will be an anesthetic instead of an indicator and leaning over the beaker will paralyze you for a couple days on a ventilator. SO YOU ALL MADE SURE TO GET THE ICE BATHS DONE PROPERLY WITH BRINE, RIGHT?"

    • @zachelkins1229
      @zachelkins1229 Před rokem +2

      This reminds me of the phrase "oops I accidentally a war crime."

  • @tire26
    @tire26 Před rokem +5

    Excellent video and thank you. I watched the linked video with the rabbits. Really glad we were never gassed in Iraq except one time chlorine which doesn't compare to these. A few of my buddies have lung issues from the chlorine but all survived with mostly good health.
    Just to be helpful, the word "Corps" (military term usually) is pronounced "core".

  • @harrintino
    @harrintino Před rokem +1

    What a awesome video! Thank you sir, I subscribed.

  • @joekrafft7125
    @joekrafft7125 Před rokem +20

    excellent work. as someone who went through live agent training: VX is by far the most terrifying

  • @user-rv8yv4yh9n
    @user-rv8yv4yh9n Před rokem +17

    3:00 my first thought is that given he was discharged from the military after being exposed to mustard gas maybe Sarin gave even _him_ pause when presented with the nerve agent

  • @patinthechat6452
    @patinthechat6452 Před rokem +7

    Don't worry, Nicholas Cage thoroughly scared me away from coming anywhere close to nerve agents. Like many dangerous chemicals but especially nerve agents.... "The second you don't respect this, it kills you"

    • @Geomanb
      @Geomanb Před rokem +2

      I searched for this comment :-)

    • @Shijaru64
      @Shijaru64 Před 11 měsíci

      Some film? Why did Nicholas Cage scared you?

  • @sleepless9994
    @sleepless9994 Před rokem

    Thanks I was having trouble deciding which nerve agent o should use for my diabolically evil plan.

  • @lexinwonderland5741
    @lexinwonderland5741 Před rokem +34

    Your hard work does not go unnoticed! Thanks for the great content as always!

    • @That_Chemist
      @That_Chemist  Před rokem +6

      And thank you for your dedicated viewership - I still appreciate your recommendation of making the perfluorocubane video every time I see you leave a comment :)

  • @yungstizzle.
    @yungstizzle. Před rokem +8

    I've never been so confused, terrified and entertained in my life.

  • @Swede4Trump
    @Swede4Trump Před rokem +1

    Greetings from Sweden!
    You, Sir, just got yourself a new subscriber. 👍

    • @That_Chemist
      @That_Chemist  Před rokem +2

      Thank you - I just visited an IKEA about a week ago ;)

    • @Swede4Trump
      @Swede4Trump Před rokem +1

      @@That_Chemist Did you try the meatballs?

  • @MrScaryJello
    @MrScaryJello Před rokem

    You got my subscription based off of the name of the video alone. This promises to be elucidating and ridiculous. I'm making popcorn before I start the video.