Sarin may be identifiable by source
DOI: 10.1063/PT.5.027323
MIT Technology Review : Discovered in 1938 and used since in chemical weapons, sarin is a compound that causes neurological damage and death. Its presence can be detected through the use of gas chromatography and mass spectrometry . Now, Carlos Fraga of Pacific Northwest National Laboratory in Richland, Washington, shows that individual batches of sarin can be identified by the impurities in the hydrocarbons present in the substance. The source of the impurities isn’t known, but their combinations vary consistently from one batch to the next. That means that it may soon be possible to identify the source of any sarin used in chemical weapons attacks. Similar work is being done with the biological/chemical weapon, ricin. That chemical is extracted from castor beans by using acetone, which is known to have unique hydrocarbon impurities as well.
