Chemical A chemical substance is a unique form of matter with constant chemical composition and characteristic properties. Chemical substances may take the form of a single element or chemical compounds. If two or more chemical substances can be combin ...

, biological (CB) — and sometimes

radiological In physics, radiation is the emission or transmission of energy in the form of waves or particles through space or a material medium. This includes: * ''electromagnetic radiation'' consisting of photons, such as radio waves, microwaves, infr ...

— warfare agents were assigned what is termed a military symbol by the U.S. military until the American chemical and biological weapons programs were terminated (in 1990 and 1969, respectively). Military symbols applied to the CB agent fill, and not to the entire weapon. A chemical or biological weapon designation would be, for example, "Aero-14/B", which could be filled with GB, VX, TGB, or with a biological modification kit – OU, NU, UL, etc. A CB weapon is an integrated device of (1) agent, (2) dissemination means, and (3) delivery system. Military symbols can sometimes reflect the name of where a chemical agent is manufactured. For example, chloropicrin has the symbol PS, which was derived from the British town in which it was manufactured during the First World War: Port Sunlight.

Chemical agents

Blood agents

*AC –

hydrogen cyanide Hydrogen cyanide (formerly known as prussic acid) is a chemical compound with the chemical formula, formula HCN and structural formula . It is a highly toxic and flammable liquid that boiling, boils slightly above room temperature, at . HCN is ...

*CK – cyanogen chloride *SA – Arsine

Choking agents

*BBC – bromobenzyl cyanide *CL –

chlorine Chlorine is a chemical element; it has Symbol (chemistry), symbol Cl and atomic number 17. The second-lightest of the halogens, it appears between fluorine and bromine in the periodic table and its properties are mostly intermediate between ...

*CG –

phosgene Phosgene is an organic chemical compound with the formula . It is a toxic, colorless gas; in low concentrations, its musty odor resembles that of freshly cut hay or grass. It can be thought of chemically as the double acyl chloride analog of ...

*DP – diphosgene *KJ – stannic chloride *NC – 80% chloropicrin, 20% stannic chloride *PS – chloropicrin

Blister agents

*H – mustard gas *HD – distilled mustard gas *T – O-Mustard *Q – sesquimustard *L –

Lewisite Lewisite (L) (A-243) is an organoarsenic compound. It was once manufactured in the United States, Japan, Germany and the Soviet Union for use as a Chemical warfare, chemical weapon, acting as a vesicant (blister agent) and lung irritant. Although ...

*HL – mustard-lewisite mixture *HT – mustard-T mixture *HQ – mustard-Q mixture *HN –

nitrogen mustard Nitrogen mustards (NMs) are cytotoxic organic compounds with the bis(2-chloroethyl)amino ((ClC2H4)2NR) functional group. Although originally produced as chemical warfare agents, they were the first chemotherapeutic agents for treatment of canc ...

*ED – ethyl dichloroarsine *MD – methyl dichloroarsine *PD – phenyl dichloroarsine *CX – Phosgene oxime

Tear agents

*CA – camite *CN – mace *CNB – mace-

benzene Benzene is an Organic compound, organic chemical compound with the Chemical formula#Molecular formula, molecular formula C6H6. The benzene molecule is composed of six carbon atoms joined in a planar hexagonal Ring (chemistry), ring with one hyd ...

mixture *CNC – mace-

chloroform Chloroform, or trichloromethane (often abbreviated as TCM), is an organochloride with the formula and a common solvent. It is a volatile, colorless, sweet-smelling, dense liquid produced on a large scale as a precursor to refrigerants and po ...

mixture *CND *CNS – mace- chloropicrin-chloroform mixture *CS –

CS gas The compound 2-chlorobenzalmalononitrile (also called ''o''-chlorobenzylidene malononitrile; chemical formula: C10H5ClN2), a cyanocarbon, is the defining component of the lachrymatory agent commonly referred to as CS gas, a tear gas which ...

*CS1 – micropulverized CS *CS2 – microencapsulated CS *CR – CR gas *CH –

Vomiting agents

*DA – diphenylchlorarsine *DC – diphenylcyanoarsine *DM – Adamsite

Psycho agents

*BZ – 3-quinuclidinyl benzilate *SN – sernyl (PCP) *K –

lysergic acid diethylamide Lysergic acid diethylamide, commonly known as LSD (from German ; often referred to as acid or lucy), is a Semisynthesis, semisynthetic, Hallucinogen, hallucinogenic compound derived from ergot, known for its powerful psychological effects and ...

(LSD) A 1729

Nerve agents

*GA – tabun A1205*GB – sarin A1208*GB2 – sarin as a binary agent from mixing OPA (

isopropyl alcohol Isopropyl alcohol (IUPAC name propan-2-ol and also called isopropanol or 2-propanol) is a colorless, flammable, organic compound with a pungent alcoholic odor. Isopropyl alcohol, an organic polar molecule, is miscible in water, ethanol, an ...

+ isopropyl amine) + DF A5823*GD – soman A1210*GF – cyclosarin A1212*GE – ethyl sarin *GH – O-isopentyl sarin A1221*GS – S-butyl sarin A1255*GV – (dimethylaminoethyl phosphorodimethyl amidoylfluoridate) A5365*VE – VE nerve agent A1517*VG – Amiton (O,O-diethyl-S- -(diethylamino)ethylphosphorothioate) A1508*VM – Edemo A1664* VS – (O-Ethyl S-2-(diisopropylamino)ethyl ethylphosphonothiolate) A1677*VP – (3-pyridyl 3,3,5-trimethylcyclohexyl methylphosphonate) A1511ref>US 3903098 *VR – VR nerve agent (O-isobutyl S-(2-diethaminoethyl) methylphosphothioate) *VX – VX nerve agent A1701*TZ – Saxitoxin

Experimental agents

Material Testing Program EA (Edgewood Arsenal) numbers: * EA 1152 - Diisopropyl fluorophosphate (DFP) * EA 1205 - Tabun (GA) * EA 1208 - Sarin (GB) * EA 1210 - Soman (GD) * EA 1212 - Cyclosarin (GF) *EA 1221 - O-isopentyl sarin *EA 1255 - S-butyl sarin * EA 1285 - Tetraethyl pyrophosphate (TEPP) * EA 1298 - Methylenedioxyamphetamine (MDA), an analogue and active metabolite of MDMA *EA 1475 - Methylenedioxymethamphetamine *EA 1476 - A dimethylheptylpyran variant ("red oil") * EA 1508 - VG * EA 1517 - VE * EA 1653 - LSD in tartrate form * EA 1664 - Edemo (VM) *EA 1677 - VS, a "V-series" nerve agent * EA 1701 - VX * EA 1729 - LSD in free base form * EA 2092 - Benactyzine * EA 2148-A - Phencyclidine (PCP) *EA 2233 - A dimethylheptylpyran variant **Eight individual isomers numbered EA-2233-1 through EA-2233-8 * EA 2277 - BZ ("Substance 78" to Soviets) * EA 3148 - A "V-series" nerve agent, Cyclopentyl S-2-diethylaminoethyl methylphosphonothiolate ("Substance 100A" to Soviets) * EA 3167 - A BZ variant * EA 3443 - A BZ variant * EA 3528 - LSD in malleate form * EA 3580 - A BZ variant * EA 3834 - A BZ variant * EA 5365 - GV * EA 5823 - Sarin (GB) as a binary agent from mixing OPA (

+ isopropyl amine) + DF

Biological agents

Mycotic biological agents

*OC - Coccidioides mycosis

Bacterial biological agents

*N - anthrax *TR - anthrax *LE - plague *UL - tularemia (schu S4) *TT - wet-type UL *ZZ - dry-type UL *SR - tularemia *JT - tularemia (425) *HO -

cholera Cholera () is an infection of the small intestine by some Strain (biology), strains of the Bacteria, bacterium ''Vibrio cholerae''. Symptoms may range from none, to mild, to severe. The classic symptom is large amounts of watery diarrhea last ...

*AB - bovine

brucellosis Brucellosis is a zoonosis spread primarily via ingestion of raw milk, unpasteurized milk from infected animals. It is also known as undulant fever, Malta fever, and Mediterranean fever. The bacteria causing this disease, ''Brucella'', are small ...

*US - porcine brucellosis *NX - porcine brucellosis *AM - caprine brucellosis *BX - caprine brucellosis *Y - bacterial

dysentery Dysentery ( , ), historically known as the bloody flux, is a type of gastroenteritis that results in bloody diarrhea. Other symptoms may include fever, abdominal pain, and a feeling of incomplete defecation. Complications may include dehyd ...

*LA - Glanders *HI - Melioidosis *DK -

diphtheria Diphtheria is an infection caused by the bacteria, bacterium ''Corynebacterium diphtheriae''. Most infections are asymptomatic or have a mild Course (medicine), clinical course, but in some outbreaks, the mortality rate approaches 10%. Signs a ...

*TQ - listeriosis

Chlamydial biological agents

*SI - psittacosis

Rickettsial biological agents

*RI - rocky mountain spotted fever *UY - rocky mountain spotted fever *OU - Q fever *MN - wet-type OU *NT - dry-type OU *YE - human

typhus Typhus, also known as typhus fever, is a group of infectious diseases that include epidemic typhus, scrub typhus, and murine typhus. Common symptoms include fever, headache, and a rash. Typically these begin one to two weeks after exposu ...

*AV - murine typhus

Viral biological agents

*OJ - yellow fever *UT - yellow fever *LU - yellow fever *FA - Rift Valley fever *NU - Venezuelan equine encephalitis virus *TD - Venezuelan equine encephalitis virus *FX - Venezuelan equine encephalitis virus *ZX -

Eastern equine encephalitis virus Eastern equine encephalitis (EEE), also called triple E and sleeping sickness, is a viral disease caused mainly by the Eastern equine encephalitis virus (EEEV). Most infections in humans are asymptomatic, but about 5% of the time the infection p ...

*ZL -

smallpox Smallpox was an infectious disease caused by Variola virus (often called Smallpox virus), which belongs to the genus '' Orthopoxvirus''. The last naturally occurring case was diagnosed in October 1977, and the World Health Organization (W ...

*AN - Japanese B encephalitis

Biological vectors

*AP = ''

Aedes aegypti ''Aedes aegypti'' ( or from Greek 'hateful' and from Latin, meaning 'of Egypt'), sometimes called the Egyptian mosquito, dengue mosquito or yellow fever mosquito, is a mosquito that spreads diseases like dengue fever, yellow fever, malar ...

mosquito Mosquitoes, the Culicidae, are a Family (biology), family of small Diptera, flies consisting of 3,600 species. The word ''mosquito'' (formed by ''Musca (fly), mosca'' and diminutive ''-ito'') is Spanish and Portuguese for ''little fly''. Mos ...

Biological toxins

*X -

botulinum toxin Botulinum toxin, or botulinum neurotoxin (commonly called botox), is a neurotoxic protein produced by the bacterium ''Clostridium botulinum'' and related species. It prevents the release of the neurotransmitter acetylcholine from axon en ...

A *XR - partially purified botulinum toxin A *W - ricin toxin *WA - ricin toxin *UC - staphylococcal enterotoxin B *PG - staphylococcal enterotoxin B *TZ - saxitoxin *SS - saxitoxin *PP -

tetrodotoxin Tetrodotoxin (TTX) is a potent neurotoxin. Its name derives from Tetraodontiformes, an Order (biology), order that includes Tetraodontidae, pufferfish, porcupinefish, ocean sunfish, and triggerfish; several of these species carry the toxin. Alt ...

Others

Simulants

*MR - molasses residuum *BG - '' Bacillus globigii'' *BS - ''Bacillus globigii'' *U - ''Bacillus globigii'' *SM - '' Serratia marcescens'' *P - ''Serratia marcescens'' *AF - '' Aspergillus fumigatus'' mutant C-2 *EC - ''

Escherichia coli ''Escherichia coli'' ( )Wells, J. C. (2000) Longman Pronunciation Dictionary. Harlow ngland Pearson Education Ltd. is a gram-negative, facultative anaerobic, rod-shaped, coliform bacterium of the genus '' Escherichia'' that is commonly fo ...

'' *BT - '' Bacillus thuringiensis'' *EH - '' Erwinia herbicola'' *FP - fluorescent particle

Radiological agent

*RA -

References

Bibliography

{{DEFAULTSORT:Chemical Weapon Designation Chemical warfare Military terminology Military symbols