What is "soman"

n. a nerve agent easily absorbed into the body; a lethal cholinesterase inhibitor that is highly toxic when inhaled [syn: GD]

Soman, or GD (systematic name: O-Pinacolyl methylphosphonofluoridate), is an extremely toxic chemical substance. It is a nerve agent, interfering with normal functioning of the mammalian nervous system by inhibiting the enzyme cholinesterase. It is an inhibitor of both acetylcholinesterase and butyrylcholinesterase. As a chemical weapon, it is classified as a weapon of mass destruction by the United Nations according to UN Resolution 687. Its production is strictly controlled, and stockpiling is outlawed by the Chemical Weapons Convention of 1993 where it is classified as a Schedule 1 substance. Soman was the third of the so-called G-series nerve agents to be discovered along with GA (tabun), GB (sarin), and GF (cyclosarin).

It is a volatile, corrosive, and colorless liquid with a faint odor when pure. More commonly, it is a yellow to brown color and has a strong odor described as similar to camphor. The LCt for soman is 70 mg·min/m in humans. It is both more lethal and more persistent than sarin or tabun, but less so than cyclosarin.

GD can be thickened for use as a chemical spray using an acryloid copolymer. It can also be deployed as a binary chemical weapon; its precursor chemicals are methylphosphonyl difluoride and a mixture of pinacolyl alcohol and an amine.

Soman is a chemical weapon.

Soman may also refer to:

• Soman, Iran, a village in Razavi Khorasan Province, Iran
• Bhaskar S. Soman
• Chitra K. Soman, an Indian athlete
• K. A. Soman (Artist Somji)
• Milind Soman
• M. G. Soman, an Indian (Malayalam) actor
• Patricia Soman
• Soman Chainani, an Indian-American filmmaker and writer
• Soman (band)

Soman is a power noise/ techno act from Germany. They have had several hits in the Deutsche Alternative Charts.