Novichok nerve agent

E165586

chemical weapon nerve agent organophosphate compound

Novichok nerve agent is a highly toxic class of Soviet-developed chemical weapons designed to be more lethal and harder to detect than earlier nerve agents.

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All labels observed (7)

Label	Occurrences
Novichok nerve agent canonical	2
Novichok nerve agents	2
Novichok	1
Novichok agents	1
Novichok poisonings	1
Novichok: The Story of the Russian Poison	1
Soviet chemical weapons program	1

How this entity was disambiguated

This entity first appeared as the object of triple T1450040 — resolving that mention is where its identity was fixed. The disambiguator weighed these candidate entities and picked the highlighted one (or “None”, minting a new entity). This is how homonymy is resolved: the same surface form can point to different entities.

NED1 Entity disambiguation (via context triple) gpt-5-mini-2025-08-07

Target entity: Novichok nerve agent
Context triple: [Alexei Navalny, poisoningSubstance, Novichok nerve agent]

A. VX gas
VX gas is an extremely toxic, persistent nerve agent developed for chemical warfare, known for its rapid disruption of the nervous system even at very low exposure levels.
B. Zyklon B
Zyklon B was a cyanide-based pesticide infamously used by Nazi Germany as a chemical agent for mass murder in extermination camps during the Holocaust.
C. T-Stoff (high-test hydrogen peroxide)
T-Stoff (high-test hydrogen peroxide) was a highly concentrated, volatile oxidizer used as rocket propellant in German World War II aircraft and missiles, notably the Messerschmitt Me 163.
D. Agent Orange
Agent Orange is a powerful herbicidal chemical mixture used by the U.S. military as a defoliant, notorious for causing severe health problems and environmental damage.
E. Dalstroy
Dalstroy was a Soviet state organization under the NKVD that managed forced labor camps and large-scale mining and construction projects in the Kolyma region.
F. None of above. chosen
G. Unsure - the case is ambiguous/there is not enough information to decide.

NED2 Entity disambiguation (via description) gpt-5-mini-2025-08-07

Target entity: Novichok nerve agent
Target entity description: Novichok nerve agent is a highly toxic class of Soviet-developed chemical weapons designed to be more lethal and harder to detect than earlier nerve agents.

A. VX gas
VX gas is an extremely toxic, persistent nerve agent developed for chemical warfare, known for its rapid disruption of the nervous system even at very low exposure levels.
B. Zyklon B
Zyklon B was a cyanide-based pesticide infamously used by Nazi Germany as a chemical agent for mass murder in extermination camps during the Holocaust.
C. T-Stoff (high-test hydrogen peroxide)
T-Stoff (high-test hydrogen peroxide) was a highly concentrated, volatile oxidizer used as rocket propellant in German World War II aircraft and missiles, notably the Messerschmitt Me 163.
D. Agent Orange
Agent Orange is a powerful herbicidal chemical mixture used by the U.S. military as a defoliant, notorious for causing severe health problems and environmental damage.
E. Dalstroy
Dalstroy was a Soviet state organization under the NKVD that managed forced labor camps and large-scale mining and construction projects in the Kolyma region.
F. None of above. chosen

Statements (48)

Predicate	Object
instanceOf	chemical weapon ⓘ nerve agent ⓘ organophosphate compound ⓘ
associatedCountry	Russia ⓘ
chemicalWarfareAgentType	nerve agent ⓘ
countryOfOrigin	Soviet Union ⓘ
deliveryForm	binary chemical weapon ⓘ unitary chemical weapon ⓘ
designedToBe	harder to detect than earlier nerve agents ⓘ harder to protect against ⓘ more lethal than earlier nerve agents ⓘ
detectionDifficulty	difficult to detect with standard chemical weapons sensors ⓘ
developedBy	Soviet Union ⓘ Soviet military ⓘ linked to: Soviet armed forces
developedInPeriod	1970s ⓘ 1980s ⓘ
developedUnderProgram	Foliant program ⓘ
effectOnBody	disrupts nervous system signaling ⓘ
exposureRoute	dermal contact ⓘ ingestion ⓘ inhalation ⓘ
firstPublicRevelationsBy	Vil Mirzayanov ⓘ
firstPublicRevelationsPeriod	1990s ⓘ
legalStatus	prohibited chemical weapon ⓘ
lethality	potentially fatal within minutes to hours without treatment ⓘ
listedIn	CWC Schedule 1 chemicals ⓘ linked to: Annex on Chemicals
mechanismDetail	prevents breakdown of acetylcholine at synapses ⓘ
modeOfAction	acetylcholinesterase inhibitor ⓘ
persistence	can be relatively persistent in environment ⓘ
regulatedBy	Chemical Weapons Convention ⓘ
resultOfExposure	cholinergic crisis ⓘ
safetyRisk	extreme hazard at very low doses ⓘ
storageForm	precursor chemicals mixed shortly before use ⓘ
symptom	convulsions ⓘ loss of consciousness ⓘ miosis ⓘ muscle spasms ⓘ respiratory failure ⓘ
target	central nervous system ⓘ peripheral nervous system ⓘ
toxicity	highly toxic ⓘ
treatment	atropine ⓘ oxime therapy ⓘ supportive intensive care ⓘ
UNClassification	Schedule 1 chemical weapon ⓘ
usedInIncident	2018 Amesbury poisoning ⓘ 2018 Salisbury poisoning ⓘ linked to: The Salisbury Poisonings 2020 Alexei Navalny poisoning ⓘ

How these facts were elicited