Tracking the Illegal Shipment of Sarin Precursor from Belgium to Syria

Re:Tracking the Illegal Shipment of Sarin Precursor from Bel... by wbl on Sunday April 22, 2018 @07:59PM (#16899433)

Here is the CWC Schedule II: 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.

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Re:Tracking the Illegal Shipment of Sarin Precursor from Bel... by scottie_m on Sunday April 22, 2018 @10:16PM (#16900041)

“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.

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Re:Tracking the Illegal Shipment of Sarin Precursor from Bel... by wbl on Sunday April 22, 2018 @11:58PM (#16900414)

I was confused. Apparently Belgium saw fit to restrict the export.

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