Gerhard Shrader German chemist. Country: Germany

Biography of Gerhard Schrader

Gerhard Schrader was a German chemist known for his contributions in the field of chemical warfare. Born in Germany, Schrader began his work in 1936 on the synthesis of sulfur and phosphorus fluoride compounds. During this time, he discovered methanesulfonyl fluoride, which was later used as a fumigant.

From 1938 to 1944, Schrader and his team synthesized a range of fluorine-containing esters such as DFP, TEPP, OMPA, and zarin. These esters were intended for use as insecticides but were later recognized for their toxic properties and adopted by the military. During World War II, the Nazis extensively used these compounds.

After the war, the Allies gained access to many German industrial and scientific archives, including the research conducted by Schrader's group. These findings were reviewed in 1946 by the British Intelligence Sub-Committee on Information Perspectives and later at the Long Ashton Research Station. This led to the intensification of efforts in the West to develop a powerful chemical warfare capability, which was subsequently used by the United States in the Korean War and Indochina.

In 1936, while searching for a means to combat insect pests, Schrader discovered a highly lethal substance that he named "Tabun." This compound had the ability to kill both humans and insects, leading the military to exploit its potential. Mass production of Tabun began in the summer of 1942, with plans to produce 1,000 tons per month. However, due to technical difficulties, Germany only had 15,000 tons of Tabun by early 1945. Although this fell short of the original plan, it was still enough to cause significant harm, potentially affecting hundreds of thousands of soldiers.

While Tabun initially seemed unmatched in its lethality, a new compound was invented that was ten times more deadly. In the summer of 1939, Schrader, along with his colleagues Ambros and der Linde, invented sarin. Finally, in 1944, zoman was developed, surpassing even sarin in effectiveness. These two substances became the main nerve agents and remain in the arsenal of major armies to this day. The production of these last two compounds proved challenging, with zoman never leaving the laboratory. Estimates of the amount of sarin produced range from 500kg to 10 tons.