Sarin is a
toxic nerve agent of the organophosphate variety, also known
GB or
Zarin. It was first developed in
Germany in 1938 and named for its four discoverers: Schrader, Ambros, Rüdriger, and van der Linde. The German
government then created a
full-
scale Sarin
synthesis plant in Falkenhagen, south of
Berlin. It is estimated that around 500
kilograms of Sarin were created for
Nazi use. The
United States began synthesizing Sarin in 1950 and ceased
production in 1956.
Sarin is an
inhibitor of esterase
enzymes, most importantly, acetylcholinesterase. When acetylcholinesterase is inhibited, large amounts of acetylcholine block nerve
signal transmission.
Symptoms upon
exposure to
lethal dosages of sarin are loss of
muscle control, slurring of
speech,
loss of
reflexes,
convulsions,
coma, and respiratory failure. Finally,
death inevitably ensues. It is an unpleasant death, to say the least.
Sarin is most famous for its use in an
attack on the
Tokyo subway system by
Aum Shinrikyo, a
Japanese doomsday
cult on March 20, 1995. The attack was carried at out Kasumigaseki
station, located quite close to the Japanese government offices. 12 people were killed and 5,500 people were injured. It was the first documented
terrorist use of nerve agents. The
Iraqi government was also thought to have been producing Sarin gas before and during the
Gulf War.
Sarin is also known as methylphosphonofluoridic
acid and (1-methylethyl) ester. Its
molecular formula is C
4H
10FO
2P and has a
formula weight of 140.09. Its
melting point is -57°C and its
boiling point is 147°C. Sarin has a
vapor pressure of 1.48 mm Hg at
room temperature (20°C,68°F) and has a
density of 1.11 grams/cubic cm.