Abstract
CONFIRMATORY LAB TESTS have verified that the contents of a roadside bomb that exploded in Baghdad last month was the nerve agent sarin. Also known as GB, is a potent cholinesterase inhibitor and bears the chemical name O -isopropyl methylphosphonofluoridate. Initial field tests using an improved version of the Army's Chemical Agent Monitor (CAM) and M8 detector paper indicated the presence of in the 155-mm artillery shell that was rigged as a bomb. M8 alerts military personnel to the presence of a chemical agent. The more sophisticated portable CAM distinguishes among nerve and mustard agents but is notorious for yielding false positives. A U.S. official who asked not to be identified tells C&EN that follow-up lab analyses performed by the Iraq Survey Group confirmed the presence of sarin and a major degradation product, di-isopropyl methylphosphonate. Liquid samples from the partially exploded shell were analyzed using gas chromatography/mass spectrometry and ...
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