For other uses, see
A234 .
A-234 (according to Mirzayanov)
Chemical structure of A-234 according to Mirzayanov[ 1]
Names
IUPAC name
ethyl N -[(1E )-1-(diethylamino)ethylidene]-phosphoramidofluoridate
Other names
N -2-diethylaminomethylacetamido-ethoxyphosphonofluoridate
Identifiers
ChEBI
ChemSpider
InChI=1S/C8H18FN2O2P/c1-5-11(6-2)8(4)10-14(9,12)13-7-3/h5-7H2,1-4H3/b10-8+
Key: SBPSVLLDDYOPDZ-CSKARUKUSA-N
CCOP(F)(=O)\N=C(/C)\N(CC)CC
Properties
C 8 H 18 F N 2 O 2 P
Molar mass
224.216 g·mol−1
Except where otherwise noted, data are given for materials in their
standard state (at 25 °C [77 °F], 100 kPa).
Chemical compound
A-234 is an organophosphate nerve agent . It was developed in the Soviet Union under the FOLIANT program and is one of the group of compounds referred to as Novichok agents that were revealed by Vil Mirzayanov .[ 2] [ 3] [ 4] [ 5] In March 2018, the Russian ambassador to the UK , Alexander Yakovenko , claimed to have been informed by British authorities that A-234 had been identified as the agent used in the poisoning of Sergei and Yulia Skripal .[ 6] Vladimir Uglev, one of the inventors of the Novichok series of compounds, said he was "99 percent sure that it was A-234" in relation to the 2018 Amesbury poisonings , noting its unusually high persistence in the environment.[ 7] [ 8]
According to a classified report by the United States Army National Ground Intelligence Center ,[ 9] the agent designated as A-232 and its ethyl analog A-234, developed under the FOLIANT program, were "as toxic as VX , as resistant to treatment as soman , and more difficult to detect and easier to manufacture than VX".
No certain data on toxicity exist but it is estimated that the median lethal concentration of A-234 is 7 mg/m3 . This means that half of 70 kg men under slight physical activity – breathing 15 litres of air per minute – would die within two minutes of exposure. This equates to median lethal dose of 0.2 mg via respiration.[ 10]
^ Chai, Peter R.; Hayes, Bryan D.; Erickson, Timothy B.; Boyer, Edward W. (2018). "Novichok agents: A historical, current, and toxicological perspective" . Toxicology Communications . 2 (1): 45– 48. doi :10.1080/24734306.2018.1475151 . PMC 6039123 . PMID 30003185 .
^ Mirzayanov, Vil S. (2008). State Secrets: An Insider's Chronicle of the Russian Chemical Weapons Program . Outskirts Press. ISBN 978-1-4327-2566-2 .
^ Vásárhelyi, Györgyi; Földi, László (2007). "History of Russia's chemical weapons" (PDF) . AARMS . 6 (1): 135– 146. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2018-03-14.
^ Halámek, E.; Kobliha, Z. (2011). "Potenciální Bojové Chemické Látky" . Chemické Listy . 105 (5): 323– 333.
^ Peplow, Mark (19 March 2018). "Nerve agent attack on spy used 'Novichok' poison" . Chemical & Engineering News . 96 (12): 3. Retrieved 16 March 2018 .
^ "Russian spy: What are Novichok agents and what do they do?" . BBC News . 19 March 2018.
^ Carroll, Oliver (6 July 2018). "Novichok inventor on Amesbury poisoning: 'I completely understand panic of those living in Salisbury' " . The Independent . Archived from the original on 2018-07-05. Retrieved 26 May 2020 .
^ Harvey, Steven P.; McMahon, Leslie R.; Berg, Frederic J. (2020). "Hydrolysis and enzymatic degradation of Novichok nerve agents" . Heliyon . 6 : e03153. Bibcode :2020Heliy...603153H . doi :10.1016/j.heliyon.2019.e03153 . PMC 7002793 . PMID 32042950 .
^ Gertz, Bill (4 February 1997). "Russia dodges chemical arms ban" . The Washington Times . Retrieved 26 May 2020 .
^ Franca, Tanos C. C.; Kitagawa, Daniel A. S.; Cavalcante, Samir F. de A.; da Silva, Jorge A. V.; Nepovimova, Eugenie; Kuca, Kamil (January 2019). "Novichoks: The Dangerous Fourth Generation of Chemical Weapons" . International Journal of Molecular Sciences . 20 (5): 1222. doi :10.3390/ijms20051222 . PMC 6429166 . PMID 30862059 .