Which Nerve Agent is the Most Evil? (Nerve Agent Lore)

Nerve agents are completely terrifying - in this episode I discuss the different classes of nerve agents, and we determine which ones are the most EVIL.

Exposure to nerve agents is usually treated with atropine and pralidoxime chloride (2-PAM chloride).

Nerve agents inhibit acetylcholinesterase, which is an enzyme that catalyzes the breakdown of acetylcholine. Some nerve agents covalently bind to the enzyme, and can damage the active site of the enzyme, so the acetylcholine builds up, the signal keeps sending, and the motor neurons keep firing. The G series and V series of nerve agents were mass produced, weaponized agents, while the EA series, A series, and others are not known to be mass produced or weaponized.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
References:
Scary book - Jared Ledgard, A Laboratory History of Chemical Warfare Agents - (the link to this book was deactivated; perhaps the uploader had violated the hosting site's TOS - its ISBN-13 number is‎ 978-0615136455)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Molecules for this tierlist - Tabun (GA), Sarin (GB), Chlorosarin, Thiosarin (GBS), Soman (GD), Cyclosarin (GF), Methyl cyclosarin (EA-1356), VX, EA-2192, Russian VX (VR), Chinese VX, V-sub x, A-230, A-234, A-242, C01-A039, C01-A042, Neostigmine, TMTFA, TL-599 (SB-8), T-1123, T-1152, 4-692-530-01, 4-686-293-01 (Agent 1-10), 4-686-293-02 (Agent 1-8)

[That_Chemist]

Nerve agents inhibit acetylcholinesterase, which is an enzyme that catalyzes the breakdown of acetylcholine. Some nerve agents covalently bind to the enzyme, and can damage the active site of the enzyme, so the acetylcholine builds up, the signal keeps sending, and the motor neurons keep firing. The G series and V series of nerve agents were mass produced, weaponized agents, while the EA series, A series, and others are not known to be mass produced or weaponized. Exposure to nerve agents is usually treated with atropine and pralidoxime chloride (2-PAM chloride).

[WorsteBrooike]

It is an honor to be on a watch list with you all!

[Somejaun]

I knew I’d be traumatized when I saw that Sarin was only in D tier

[geldundkokaine]

You're not a real chemist if your home products aren't even on this leaderboard

[ajm]

Not nearly as extreme as the nerve agent testing, but in the late 90s, I was in the Marine Corps and "volunteered" for a sleep deprivation experiment. A substantial number of minor injuries occurred, and those who made it to the end were largely experiencing delusions, mood disorders, and outright hallucinations. Some (like me) recovered relatively quickly after returning to normal sleep patterns, but some needed months of therapy to resolve sleep and mood disorders they'd developed (and probably still have lingering symptoms). It was a nightmare. But you got paid a lot more AND you got as long as you needed to recover afterward.

[petermaddin]

I am impressed that you had the nerve to do this

[Nitroaereus]

There really is a tierlist for everything on YouTube.

[zchen]

I remember in high school our chemistry teacher told us that our final assignment in class is to research any paper that is chemistry-related and present it to the class. Me, being the meme/edge-lord all high schoolers tend to be, did an entire presentation on the effects and countermeasures to agent VX with model testing on mice, as described in some Czech research paper. To maximize meme potential, my entire Powerpoint was in Comic Sans.

[patches.]

Hearing that one of these compounds is lethal at the femto molar level left me mouth agape and sent shivers down my spine, absolutely insane

[Shniedelwoodz]

This tierlist could have used extra tiers above S, like "wtf?!", "oh god no" and "why would you even?!"

[DP-qexo]

Thanks for the tierlist, was struggling to pick one until now 👍

[roscop.coaltrain]

I was a nuclear, biological and chemical specialist in the army. Learning about his when I was 18 scared the hell out of me

[mattm]

I still remember our NAAK (nerve agent antidote kit)training in Army BCT. It honestly was the most terrfying part, not because it was dangerous at all but just learning about Nerve agents and how quickly they could get ya with very little warning. We had to memorize all the symptoms.
Sudden headache
Unexplained runny nose
Burning eyes
Etc.

[Kitty]

The really scary part about this is that these are ALL incredibly simple molecules.

Im an organic chemistry student on my third year of Ochem and I'm trained to look at molecular structures and imagine the potential synthesis pathways. The first thing that came to mind when I saw these was that I could synthesize these compounds with relative ease and using common precursors, which is really really really scary. 😭

As we push for a more educated societal standard, i wonder how many horrible people in the future will come up with the bright idea to utilize chemical weaponry

[trustmeimabiochemist]

The moment you sent Sarin to D tier I knew this was gonna be a spicy video.

The classified, human tested, chemical warfare agents of the United States? Well of course we want to know more about that

[expertoflizardcorrugation]

ah
this is horrifying

but one thing I find interesting is that you can, through their structure, almost sort them into a family tree. it's almost like you can see how the ideas developed over time

[random.]

leaving the horror of all of these aside, i am super impressed that you can tell that something is necessarly toxic just buy looking at the (stylized) molecule. That is not only insanely impressive, but also really shows how much it pays off to actually understand one's own craft, not just get familiar with steps.

[liamlundergan]

When Thatchemist uploads a video, I always watch, laugh, learn, and get contacted by the authorities.

[anonviewerciv]

A historical overview of making people lose their nerves, literally.
1:45 G-series.
8:50 V-series.
11:45 Novichok.
14:40 Neostigmine, a medication.

[DiamondEyes]

Fun fact about Aberdeen/ Edgewood area. If you get stationed there for more than 3 yrs, you MUST sign a waiver stating you have been made aware that there are VERY high levels of cancer in the area. Oh, and in the mornings we would go on company runs up to the gate to edgewood. On the gate, they had a sign that they are authorized to use deadly force without warning if you cross said gate