Responsible Chemistry: Dual-Use Chemicals

After passing the course, the student will be able to:

1. Identify dual-use chemicals; recognize and classify chemicals with legitimate applications that also pose a risk of misuse, including precursors for controlled substances and chemical weapons.
2. Examine the principles and provisions of key international treaties and national regulations concerning chemical security, such as the Chemical Weapons Convention and the Australia Group guidelines.
3. Demonstrate a detailed understanding of the properties, mechanisms of action, and potential health effects of various chemical warfare agents and other toxic chemicals.
4. Describe fundamental ethical principles relevant to chemical research, development, and application, including concepts of responsibility, sustainability, and societal impact.
5. Assess chemical security and the potential for chemical misuse.
6. Develop a sense of ethical responsibility while recognizing potential impacts on society and the environment.
7. Propose sustainable chemical practices that minimize environmental impact and promote long-term resource conservation.
8. Present acquired knowledge in the form of a written paper and/or an oral presentation on a selected topic.

Teaching units:

1. Introduction to responsible chemistry (1 term). Defining the concept of responsible chemistry. Examples of misuse of chemicals and ethical lapses. Ethical obligations and professional conduct. Dual-purpose chemicals.
2. Basic principles of chemical safety (1 term). Overview of chemical threats: hazards and risks. Categories and effects of chemical weapons. Methods of protection and countermeasures. Basic concepts of hazard assessment and risk management.
3. Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC) (3 terms). Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW). History and objectives of the CWC. Key provisions and mechanisms of verification of chemicals from the list classified in categories 1, 2 and 3.
4. Precursors and preparation of illegal drugs (2 terms). List of illegal substances of abuse, impact on public health. Control of methamphetamine (MDMA) and ephedrine/pseudoephedrine. Safrole, piperonal and illegal production of MDMA. Regulatory control of ephedrine/pseudoephedrine and other precursors. Regulatory frameworks for precursor control.
5. Opiates: from legitimate use to abuse (1 term). Opiate chemistry: sources, synthesis and metabolism. Regulation of production and distribution of opioids. The opioid crisis: efforts to mitigate. New drugs derived from morphine.
6. Toxic industrial chemicals and chemical accidents (2 terms). Identifying high-risk industrial chemicals: properties and risks. Example: Bhopal disaster, India. Chemical safety management systems, prevention. Emergency response to industrial chemical releases into the environment. Cyanide poisoning and the use of cyanide in chemical warfare.
7. Chemical weapons – blister agents (1 session). Properties and effects of sulphur mustard (mustard gas) as a chemical warfare agent. Historical use of sulphur mustard in warfare. Detection and decontamination of sulphur mustard.
8. Nerve agents (2 sessions). Chemistry of sarin: synthesis, properties, and mechanism of action. Historical use of sarin in war and terrorist attacks. Classification, detection, and decontamination of nerve agents. Medical countermeasures for nerve agents – antidotes.
9. The Australia Group and export controls (1 session). History, objectives, and member states. Export controls on chemical and biological weapon precursors. Examples: saxitoxin, ricin, botulin, and their potential for misuse. Regulatory control of biotoxin production and distribution.
10. Ethics in science and the future of responsible chemistry (1 session). Ethical frameworks for scientific research, the Belmont Report. Examples of ethical dilemmas: conflicts of interest and data integrity. The role of scientists in promoting responsible innovation. Future challenges and opportunities for responsible chemistry.

Lectures, online classes, and independent student work. All teaching materials are available on the e-learning platform.

The exam consists of a written and an oral part. The final grade is determined based on the following assessment (100 points total): continuous assessment of knowledge 20 % (0–20 points), written exam 60 % (0–60 points) and oral exam 20 % (0–20 points).

1. The Convention on the Prohibition of the Development, Production, Stockpiling and Use of Chemical Weapons and on their Destruction (the Chemical Weapons Convention, CWC), opcw.org.
2. Workbook Chemistry in Conflict, Revised Third Edition, November 2018, OPCW, opcw.org.
3. A. Vaseashta, A. Rocha (eds.): Spectrum of Dual-Use Technologies (pp. 63–109), vol. 66, Dual-Use Chemicals, Springer Nature, DOI: 10.1007/978-3-032-00202-0_3.
4. D. B. Walters, P. Ho, J. Hardesty: Safety, security and dual-use chemicals, Elsevier, DOI: 10.1016/j.jchas.2014.12.001.
5. Various scientific and professional monographs.

A university elective course is not a constituent part of a study programme. It may be enrolled in and attended by students of all constituent units of the University of Zagreb as well as students on exchange.