Novichoks: The Dangerous Fourth Generation of Chemical Weapons

"Novichoks" is the name given to the controversial chemical weapons supposedly developed in the former Soviet Union between the 1970s and the 1990s. Designed to be undetectable and untreatable, these chemicals became the most toxic of the nerve agents, being very attractive for both terror...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:International journal of molecular sciences 2019-03, Vol.20 (5), p.1222
Main Authors: Franca, Tanos C C, Kitagawa, Daniel A S, Cavalcante, Samir F de A, da Silva, Jorge A V, Nepovimova, Eugenie, Kuca, Kamil
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Ammunition
Animals
Assassinations & assassination attempts
Biological & chemical weapons
Chemical Phenomena
Chemical Warfare - prevention & control
Chemical Warfare Agents - chemical synthesis
Chemical Warfare Agents - chemistry
Chemical Warfare Agents - toxicity
Cholinesterase
Cholinesterase inhibitors
Decontamination
Defecation
Field study
Humans
Intoxication
Miosis
Nerve agents
Nerve Agents - chemical synthesis
Nerve Agents - chemistry
Nerve Agents - toxicity
Neurotoxicity
Organic chemistry
Organophosphates - chemical synthesis
Organophosphates - chemistry
Organophosphates - toxicity
Review
Schedules
Urination
Vomiting
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Summary:"Novichoks" is the name given to the controversial chemical weapons supposedly developed in the former Soviet Union between the 1970s and the 1990s. Designed to be undetectable and untreatable, these chemicals became the most toxic of the nerve agents, being very attractive for both terrorist and chemical warfare purposes. However, very little information is available in the literature, and the Russian government did not acknowledge their development. The intent of this review is to provide the readers with a general overview on what is known about novichoks today. We briefly tell the story of the secret development of these agents, and discuss their synthesis, toxicity, physical-chemical properties, and possible ways of treatment and neutralization. In addition, we also wish to call the attention of the scientific community to the great risks still represented by nerve agents worldwide, and the need to keep constant investments in the development of antidotes and ways to protect against such deadly compounds.
ISSN:1422-0067
1661-6596
1422-0067
DOI:10.3390/ijms20051222