ComradeHuxley
Donor
This is an old thread of mine but with some new, in my opinion really intriguing information.
Old Idea
To Hitler's disappointment Otto Ambros replied, "I have justified reasons to assume that tabun, too, is known abroad. I know that tabun was publicized as early as 1902, that Sarin was patented and that these substances appeared in patents. (...) Ambros was informing Hitler of an extraordinary fact about one of Germany's most secret weapons. The essential nature of tabun and sarin had already been disclosed in the technical journals as far back as 1902.
Joseph Borkin, The Crime and Punishment of IG Farben
Now, the problem is I could never find any information when the discovery of nerve gas should have taken place. This changed recently and inspired my to make this new thread.
Sources of New Information
The history of the synthesis of organophosphate inhibitors of cholinesterase starting with the synthesis of tetraethyl-pyrophosphate by Moschnin(e) and de Clermont and leading to the recognition about half a century later of the toxicity of the phosphor ester by Lange and von Krueger has been told in great detail previously. An almost parallel history –described originally by Bo Holmstedt – exists for organophosphonate inhibitors of cholinesterase starting with the synthesis (1898) in Rostock of diethylamido-ethoxy-phosphoryl-cyanide by the pharmacist Adolph Schall (1870–1957), a graduate student of August Michaelis (1847–1916), the re-examination of the chemical structure of the Schall compound (1903) by Michaelis, recognition (1937) of the toxicity of class by Gerhard Schrader (1903–1990) and confirmation (1951) of the structure by Bo Holmstedt (1919–2002). This short report attempts to shed some light on the life of the pharmacists and chemists involved in the synthesis of the first P-CN organophosphonate inhibitor of cholinesterase, focusing on the two less known pharmacists, the graduate students of Professor Michaelis Adolph Schall and Ernst Ratzlaff (1870–1948).
Petroianu, G. A: Pharmacists Adolf Schall and Ernst Ratzlaff and the synthesis of tabun-like compounds: a brief history
Now unfortunately this article is behind a pay-wall but thankfully I found this little gem for free:
ACTA CHEMICA SCANDINAVICA 1951
Bo Holmsted/Lennart Larsson: Infra-Red Absorption Spectra of Some Organic Phosphyoryl Compounds
One of the most active substances is diethylamido-ethoxy-phosphoryl-cyanide (TABUN), the method of synthesis of which can be traced back to Schall (1). However he never seems to have recognized the true chemical constitution of his compound (........)
Michaelis (2) in 1903 suggested that Schall had obtained a mixture of (....)
Further work on the synthesis of this compound has been one by Schrader who adopter the formula (.....)
(1) Schall, A. (1898): Über die Einwirkung von Phosphoroxybromid auf sekundäre alophatische Amine Ulm.
(2) Michaelis A (1903). Ann 326 129.
Actual Question
So what happens if Schall recognizes that he synthesized nerve gas?
Old Idea
To Hitler's disappointment Otto Ambros replied, "I have justified reasons to assume that tabun, too, is known abroad. I know that tabun was publicized as early as 1902, that Sarin was patented and that these substances appeared in patents. (...) Ambros was informing Hitler of an extraordinary fact about one of Germany's most secret weapons. The essential nature of tabun and sarin had already been disclosed in the technical journals as far back as 1902.
Joseph Borkin, The Crime and Punishment of IG Farben
Now, the problem is I could never find any information when the discovery of nerve gas should have taken place. This changed recently and inspired my to make this new thread.
Sources of New Information
The history of the synthesis of organophosphate inhibitors of cholinesterase starting with the synthesis of tetraethyl-pyrophosphate by Moschnin(e) and de Clermont and leading to the recognition about half a century later of the toxicity of the phosphor ester by Lange and von Krueger has been told in great detail previously. An almost parallel history –described originally by Bo Holmstedt – exists for organophosphonate inhibitors of cholinesterase starting with the synthesis (1898) in Rostock of diethylamido-ethoxy-phosphoryl-cyanide by the pharmacist Adolph Schall (1870–1957), a graduate student of August Michaelis (1847–1916), the re-examination of the chemical structure of the Schall compound (1903) by Michaelis, recognition (1937) of the toxicity of class by Gerhard Schrader (1903–1990) and confirmation (1951) of the structure by Bo Holmstedt (1919–2002). This short report attempts to shed some light on the life of the pharmacists and chemists involved in the synthesis of the first P-CN organophosphonate inhibitor of cholinesterase, focusing on the two less known pharmacists, the graduate students of Professor Michaelis Adolph Schall and Ernst Ratzlaff (1870–1948).
Petroianu, G. A: Pharmacists Adolf Schall and Ernst Ratzlaff and the synthesis of tabun-like compounds: a brief history
Now unfortunately this article is behind a pay-wall but thankfully I found this little gem for free:
ACTA CHEMICA SCANDINAVICA 1951
Bo Holmsted/Lennart Larsson: Infra-Red Absorption Spectra of Some Organic Phosphyoryl Compounds
One of the most active substances is diethylamido-ethoxy-phosphoryl-cyanide (TABUN), the method of synthesis of which can be traced back to Schall (1). However he never seems to have recognized the true chemical constitution of his compound (........)
Michaelis (2) in 1903 suggested that Schall had obtained a mixture of (....)
Further work on the synthesis of this compound has been one by Schrader who adopter the formula (.....)
(1) Schall, A. (1898): Über die Einwirkung von Phosphoroxybromid auf sekundäre alophatische Amine Ulm.
(2) Michaelis A (1903). Ann 326 129.
Actual Question
So what happens if Schall recognizes that he synthesized nerve gas?