novichok
Sign in to saveAlso known as novichok agents, novichok nerve gas, novichok agent
Novichok () is a family of nerve agents, some of which are binary chemical weapons. The agents were developed at the GosNIIOKhT state chemical research institute by the Soviet Union and Russia between 1971 and 1993. Some Novichok agents are solids at standard temperature and pressure, while others are liquids. Dispersal of solid form agents is thought possible if in ultrafine powder state.
~34 min read
Encyclopedic overview
23 sectionsContents
- Design objectives
- History and disclosure
- Development and test sites
- Description of Novichok agents
- Controversy over formulation
- Chemistry
- Detection
- Lifetime
- Effects and countermeasures
- Instances of usage
- Poisoning of Ivan Kivelidi and Zara Ismailova
- Poisoning of Sergei and Yulia Skripal
- Poisoning of Charlie Rowley and Dawn Sturgess
- Poisoning of Emilian Gebrev
- Poisoning of Alexei Navalny
- See also
- List of Novichok agents
- References
- Explanatory notes
- Citations
- General and cited references
- Further reading
- External links
Novichok () is a family of nerve agents, some of which are binary chemical weapons. The agents were developed at the GosNIIOKhT state chemical research institute by the Soviet Union and Russia between 1971 and 1993. Some Novichok agents are solids at standard temperature and pressure, while others are liquids. Dispersal of solid form agents is thought possible if in ultrafine powder state.
Russian scientists who developed the nerve agents claim they are the deadliest ever made, with some variants possibly five to eight times more potent than VX, and others up to ten times more potent than soman. Iran has also been associated with the production of such chemical agents.
Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “novichok” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.