3 ms·
It is not just a solvent. You can use ethanol in hand sanitizer, but isopropanol is what you need for sarin. That's why it's on the precursor lists, but at a lo
by wbl 9y ago
It is not just a solvent. You can use ethanol in hand sanitizer, but isopropanol is what you need for sarin. That's why it's on the precursor lists, but at a low level in recognition of its industrial uses.
- scottie_m 9y agoIt’s one thing you can use, especially if you’re a fan of Dexter, but back in the real world we already control the actual precursor Methylphosphonyl difluoride. If you take sodium cyanide and drop it into H2SO4 and water, you get poison gas. If you want to stop that, control the production and export of cyanide, not the water or sulphuric acid! Isopropyl alcohol is not a chemical weapon precursor, just like water isn’t a cyanide gas precursor.
- wbl 9y agoHere is the CWC Schedule II: https://www.opcw.org/chemical-weapons-convention/annexes/annex-on-chemicals/schedule-2/ https://www.opcw.org/chemical-weapons-convention/annexes/ann.... Notice an alcohol appears on the list, while organophosphates appear on Schedule I. Both are controlled.
- scottie_m 9y ago“An alcohol” Is doing a lot of work in that sentence. Ethanol is an alcohol, enjoy a lovely drink. Methanol is an alcohol, try not to to drink it. Alcohol is an incredibly broad family and the scheduled substance (Pinacolyl alcohol: 3,3-Dimethylbutan-2-ol) is not isopropyl alcohol. It’s not even close. It’s also not a precursor to sarin, but soman. Notice that isopropanol isn’t scheduled at all, so I feel justified in asking if you were just confused or trying to be sneaky? Oh and by the way, most alcohol hand sanitizers are 70% isopropyl alcohol, not ethanol.
- wbl 9y agoI was confused. Apparently Belgium saw fit to restrict the export.