Chemical, biological, and radiological warfare agents are sometimes assigned what is termed a military symbol. Military symbols evolved out of the First World War from the British in part for secrecy, and to simplify reference to chemicals by something other than a chemical name. These symbols are sometimes applied as marking on weapons to indicate the agent contents. Early detection of chemical agents Sociopolitical climate of chemical warfare While the study of chemicals and their military uses was widespread in China, the use of toxic materials has historically been viewed with mixed emotions and some disdain in the West (especially when the enemy were doing it). ... Biological warfare, also known as germ warfare, is the use of any organism (bacteria, virus or other disease_causing organism) or toxin found in nature, as a weapon of war. ... The mushroom cloud of the atomic bombing of Nagasaki, Japan, 1945, rose some 18 km (11 mi) above the epicenter. ... Ypres, 1917, in the vicinity of the Battle of Passchendaele. ... IUPAC nomenclature is a systematic way of naming organic chemical compounds. ...

Military symbols constantly change and have transitory definitions. For example, mustard gas was assigned the military symbol originally HS for "Hun Stuff". Later in the First World War the S in HS signified mustard gas that had about 25% solvent added to it. This was only in England, as HS was adopted as the military symbol by the United States - signifying crude mustard. In the Second World War the purity of mustard gas was improved through distillation, and this purified chemical warfare agent was designated HD. When it was mixed with a thickener (Agent VV), it was given the symbol HV. Today mustard gas is indicated by the single capital letter H, but HD is still in common use. Chemical Structure of Mustard Gas Compound Mustard gas (HD) is a chemical compound that was first used as a chemical weapon in World War I. In pure form, it is a colorless, odorless, viscous liquid at room temperature and causes blistering of the skin. ... A solvent is a liquid that dissolves a solid, liquid, or gaseous solute, resulting in a solution. ... Mushroom cloud from the nuclear explosion over Nagasaki rising 18 km into the air. ... Strathisla whisky distillery in Keith, Scotland Distillation is a means of separating liquids through differences in their vapor pressures. ... Thickening agents, or thickeners, are substances which, when added to the mixture, increase its viscosity without substantially modifying its other properties, like eg. ...

Military symbols can also reflect the name of where a chemical agent is manufactured. For example, chloropicrin has the symbol PS, which was derived from the British town it was manufactured at during the First World War - Port Sunshine. Another devise in assigning military symbols is in honor of the person that had devised the agent, such as Agent TZ (saxitoxin), which was derived after the name of its principal investigator, Dr. Edward Shantz. Chloropicrin is a slightly oily, colorless liquid of the formula CCl3NO2. ... Saxitoxin (STX), is a neurotoxin found in marine dinoflagellates. ...

Numbers are occasionally added to military symbols to reflect particular preparations. With riot control agents a 1 signifies micropulverized (e.g., CS1), and a 2 signified microencapsulated (e.g., CS2). With biological agents a 1 signifies a wet-type agent (e.g., UL1), and a 2 signifies a dry-type agent (e.g., UL2). Binary chemical weapons are signified by adding a 2, as in binary sarin (i.e., GB2). A riot control agent is a type of lachrymatory agent (or lacrimatory agent). ... A sampling of Bacillus anthracis—Anthrax A biological agent is an infectious disease that can be used in bioterrorism or biological warfare. ... Binary Chemical Weapons are chemical weapons wherein the toxic agent is not contained within the weapon in its active state, but in the form of two chemical precursors, physically separated within the weapon. ... Sarin or GB (O-Isopropyl methylphosphonofluoridate) is an extremely toxic substance. ...

Other formulations have their own designation. When the Tear Agent CS is mixed formulated in a solvent it is signified by CSX. When agents are thickened with the addition of a polymer a T is usually added to the beginning of the symbol (e.g, thickened soman is TGD). The tear agent Mace, or Agent CN, had been formulated in several solvent forms, indicated by CNB (with benzene), CNC (with chloroform), and CNS (with chloropicrin and chloroform). Mixtures of agents have been identified with either a hyphen (e.g., CN-DM), or combining letters of the two agents (e.g., HD mixed with L is HL). Furthermore, one strain of the biological agent Tularemia has the symbol UL, while another strain has UC. A polymer is a generic term used to describe a substantially long molecule. ... Mace is a brand of tear gas in the form of an aerosol spray which propels the lachrymatory mixed with a volatile solvent. ... Benzene, also known as C6H6, PhH, and benzol, is an organic chemical compound which is a colorless and flammable liquid with a pleasant, sweet smell. ... PEL-TWA (OSHA) 50 ppm (240 mg/m3) IDLH (NIOSH) 500 ppm Flash point non-flammable RTECS number FS9100000 Supplementary data page Structure & properties n, εr, etc. ... Chloropicrin is a slightly oily, colorless liquid of the formula CCl3NO2. ... In biology, Strain can be used two ways. ... Tularemia (also known as rabbit fever) is a infectious disease caused by the bacterium Francisella tularensis. ...

Military symbols for agents change form time to time for administrative reasons as well. For preserving secrecy, tularemia's symbol UL was changed to TT at one time. During the Second World War cyanogen chloride's symbol was changed from CK to CC - when it became apparent that CC marked munitions might be mistaken for CG (phosgene), the symbol was changed back. Mushroom cloud from the nuclear explosion over Nagasaki rising 18 km into the air. ... Cyanogen chloride, also known as CK, is a highly toxic blood agent first proposed for use in warfare by the French. ... Materiel (from the French for material) is the equipment and supplies in Military and commercial supply chain management. ... Phosgene (also known as carbonyl chloride, COCl2) is a highly toxic gas or refrigerated liquid that was used as a chemical weapon in World War I. It has no color, but is detectable in air by its odor, which resembles moldy hay. ...