Sarin
| Names | |
|---|---|
| Pronunciation | /ˈsɑːrɪn/ |
| Preferred IUPAC name
Propan-2-yl methylphosphonofluoridate | |
| Other names
(RS)-O-Isopropyl methylphosphonofluoridate; IMPF; GB; 2-(Fluoro-methylphosphoryl)oxypropane; Phosphonofluoridic acid, P-methyl-, 1-methylethyl ester EA-1208 TL-1618 T-144 | |
| Identifiers | |
3D model (JSmol) |
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| ChEBI | |
| ChEMBL | |
| ChemSpider | |
PubChem CID |
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| UNII | |
CompTox Dashboard (EPA) |
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| Properties | |
| C4H10FO2P | |
| Molar mass | 140.094 g·mol−1 |
| Appearance | Clear colourless liquid, brownish if impure |
| Odor | Odourless in pure form. Impure sarin can smell like mustard or burned rubber. |
| Density | 1.0887 g/cm3 (25 °C) 1.102 g/cm3 (20 °C) |
| Melting point | −56 °C (−69 °F; 217 K) |
| Boiling point | 158 °C (316 °F; 431 K) |
| Miscible | |
| log P | 0.30 |
| Hazards | |
| Occupational safety and health (OHS/OSH): | |
Main hazards |
Extremely lethal cholinergic agent. |
| GHS labelling: | |
| NFPA 704 (fire diamond) | |
Threshold limit value (TLV) |
0.00003 mg/m3 (TWA), 0.0001 mg/m3 (STEL) |
| Lethal dose or concentration (LD, LC): | |
LD50 (median dose) |
39 μg/kg (intravenous, rat) |
| NIOSH (US health exposure limits): | |
IDLH (Immediate danger) |
0.1 mg/m3 |
| Safety data sheet (SDS) | Lethal Nerve Agent Sarin (GB) |
Except where otherwise noted, data are given for materials in their standard state (at 25 °C [77 °F], 100 kPa).
Infobox references | |
Sarin (NATO designation GB [short for G-series, "B"]) is an extremely toxic organophosphorus compound. that has been often used as a chemical weapon due to its extreme potency as a nerve agent.
Sarin is a volatile, colorless and odorless liquid. Exposure can be lethal even at very low concentrations, and death can occur within one to ten minutes after direct inhalation of a lethal dose, due to suffocation from respiratory paralysis, unless antidotes are quickly administered. People who absorb a non-lethal dose and do not receive immediate medical treatment may suffer permanent neurological damage.
Sarin is widely considered a weapon of mass destruction. Production and stockpiling of sarin was outlawed as of April 1997 by the Chemical Weapons Convention of 1993, and it is classified as a Schedule 1 substance.