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[Dirst]

I wonder what's the addressing mechanism.

Traditionally, one of the crew would paint the target city's name on the side of the bomb casing

[Helgoland]

Nothing a chemist could synthetize in a lab would reach that level of elegant lethality.

Au contraire.

I stand corrected. I wonder what's the addressing mechanism. Wow, that's nasty.

What do you mean by 'addressing mechanism'? Apparently the enzymes to turn it into the real toxic agent only occur in certain brain cells, so this stuff selectively fries them.

And the best part is: This stuff is horrifically easy to make - give me a couple bucks and a few days' time, and I could probably whip up a batch - and its effect is delayed. It probably would be a great not-quite-assassination tool, especially if one could take an enzyme inhibitor to immunize oneself against the agent's effects.

[Amperzand]

Chemical weapons get super unfriendly at more advanced tech levels. There's some neat cadmium molecules that kill you dead and then light you on fire with the fluorine they release as a by-product of their toxicity.

[Rolepgeek]

Chlorine trifluoride.

For all your 'Fuck you' needs!

Put it in a missile. Fire. Hope none of it splashed back on you.

[Culise]

Chlorine trifluoride.

For all your 'Fuck you' needs!

Put it in a missile. Fire. Hope none of it splashed back on you.

Hee. And now I have an excuse to post this illustrative video. :3

EDIT: Oh, I forgot to explain.  In order, those are Plexiglass, rubber gloves, clean leather gloves, dirty leather gloves, a gas mask, a brick (!), and a glove soaked in water.  This is the chemical that inspired me to pick up a PDF copy of the out-of-print book Ignition. ^_^

[Amperzand]

ClF3 is some friendly stuff, yes. Very practical as a weapon. Apparently ze wacky Nazis considered using it in a flamethrower.

[Jimmy]

I much prefer when the chemistry passes into the realm of biology for chemical weapons. Sure, any hobo with a post-grad chemistry major can whip up something that goes boom. It's the finesse that lets you melt flesh while leaving inorganic materials untouched that's the true mark of a master of his trade. If all you want is a big boom, there's cheaper and easier ways to get it than highly reactive chemicals.

[Jimmy]

I'd challenge you to name a method other than biological weapons of mass destruction that can effect >90% mortality on a localized population, that is delivered by unmanned drone, and is able to completely avoid collateral damage to existing infrastructure. About the only thing that springs to mind for me is radiation, and it's not nearly as fast acting unless delivered in extremely large amounts.

[wierd]

Theoretical:  Grey Goo

(has the nifty bonus of potentially transforming enemy combatants into useful materia, while they are still alive.

[Jimmy]

Negative. Grey goo, by its very definition, would consume all localized materials to replicate. Unless you specifically programmed a nanotech to target carbon based lifeforms, it's not going to give you the effect you desire. Also, it's still science fiction, whereas biological weapons are possible with current technology.

[Helgoland]

Yeah - usually it is desirable to keep the local population alive. You need people to plow the fields, man the machinery, etc etc. Unless you're doing a Nazi-style war of extermination, those people will be the same people who performed the task before you took over.

[Tack]

The grey goo gains sentience and begins attempting to create a hive.
Welp, that's about all I wanted from this planet.

[Dirst]

The grey goo gains sentience and begins attempting to create a hive.
Welp, that's about all I wanted from this planet.

Well, the goo spreading from the engineering lab isn't grey.  More of a maroon color, actually.

Hey, that stuff spreads pretty fastttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttgb

ALL IS FINE.  THERE IS NO CAUSE FOR ALARM.  PLEASE REMAIN IN YOUR HOMES DURING THIS TRANSITION PERIOD.

[Fniff]

Yeah - usually it is desirable to keep the local population alive. You need people to plow the fields, man the machinery, etc etc. Unless you're doing a Nazi-style war of extermination, those people will be the same people who performed the task before you took over.

What about a grey goo that converts living matter into robotic servants loyal to you? That's much better than a load of belligerent wasters ruining your victory with their moaning.

[Egan_BW]

Or you could consume the populace and use them as biomatter to spawn more workers.