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| Soman | |
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| IUPAC name | 2-(Fluoro-methyl-phosphoryl)oxy-3,3-dimethyl-butane |
| Other names | GD; Phosphonofluoridic acid, methyl-, 1, 2, 2-trimethylpropyl ester; Pinacolyl methylphosphonofluoridate; 1,2,2-Trimethylpropyl methylphosphonofluoridate; Methylpinacolyloxyfluorophosphine oxide; Pinacolyloxymethylphosphonyl fluoride; Pinacolyl methanefluorophosphonate; Methylfluoropinacolylphosphonate; Fluoromethylpinacolyloxyphosphine oxide; Methylpinacolyloxyphosphonyl fluoride; Pinacolyl methylfluorophosphonate; 1,2,2-Trimethylpropoxyfluoromethylphosphine oxide |
| Properties | |
| Molecular formula | C7H16FO2P |
| Molar mass | 182.17 g mol−1 |
| Appearance | When pure, colorless liquid with fruity odor. With impurities, amber or dark brown, with oil of camphor odor |
| Density | 1.022 g/cm³ |
| Melting point |
-42 °C, 231 K, -44 °F |
| Boiling point |
198 °C, 471 K, 388 °F |
| Solubility in water | Moderate |
| Vapor pressure | 0.40 mmHg (53 Pa) |
| Hazards | |
| Main hazards | Toxic |
| NFPA 704 |
 1
4
1
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| Except where noted otherwise, data are given for materials in their standard state (at 25 °C, 100 kPa) Infobox references |
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Soman, also known by its NATO designation GD (O-Pinacolyl methylphosphonofluoridate), is an extremely toxic chemical substance. It is a nerve agent, interfering with normal functioning of the mammalian nervous system by inhibiting the cholinesterase enzyme. As a chemical weapon, it is classified as a weapon of mass destruction by the United Nations according to UN Resolution 687. Its production is strictly controlled, and stockpiling is outlawed by the Chemical Weapons Convention of 1993. Soman was the third of the so-called G-series nerve agents to be discovered along with GA (tabun), GB (sarin), and GF (cyclosarin).
It is a volatile, corrosive, and colorless liquid with a faint odor when pure. More commonly, it is a yellow to brown color and has a strong odor described as similar to camphor. The LCt50 for Soman is 70 mg·min/m3 in humans. It is both more lethal and more persistent than sarin or tabun, but less so than cyclosarin.
GD can be thickened for use as a chemical spray using an acryloid copolymer. It can also be deployed as a binary chemical weapon; its precursor chemicals are methylphosphonyl difluoride and a mixture of pinacolyl alcohol and an amine.
History
Soman was discovered by Richard Kuhn in Germany in 1944, and represented the last wartime nerve agent discovery (GF was not found until 1949). Soman was given the identifier GD post-war (GC was already in medical use) when the information relating to soman was recovered by the Soviet Union from its hiding place in a mine. The 3D crystal structure of soman complexed with acetylcholinesterase was determined by Millard et al (1999) and can be seen at Proteopedia 1som.
References
- United States Senate, 103d Congress, 2d Session. (May 25, 1994). Material Safety Data Sheet -- Lethal Nerve Agents Somain (GD and Thickened GD). Retrieved Nov. 6, 2004.
- Millard CB, Kryger G, Ordentlich A, Greenblatt HM, Harel M, Raves ML, Segall Y, Barak D, Shafferman A, Silman I, Sussman JL "Crystal structures of aged phosphonylated acetylcholinesterase: nerve agent reaction products at the atomic level", Biochemistry (1999) 38, 7032-9. PMID 10353814
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- This page was last modified on 18 November 2008, at 21:43.
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