VX Nerve Agent

VX is an extremely toxic synthetic organophosphorus compound, specifically a thiophosphonate, developed for military use as a chemical warfare nerve agent following earlier research into organophosphate toxicity in pesticides. In its pure form it is an oily, amber-colored liquid with low volatility, which allows it to persist in an environment once dispersed, and it is lethal in very small quantities, with fatalities recorded from exposure to only tens of milligrams by inhalation or skin absorption. It was discovered in 1952 by Ranajit Ghosh and J. F. Newman at the British company Imperial Chemical Industries, and it is classified as a nerve agent and weapon of mass destruction, banned for production and stockpiling under the 1993 Chemical Weapons Convention.