Binary chemical weapon Binary chemical weapons or munitions are chemical weapons wherein the toxic agent in its active state is not contained within the weapon . Rather , the toxin is in the form of two chemical precursors , physically separated within the weapon . The precursors are designed to be significantly less toxic than the agent they make when mixed , and this allows the weapon to be transported and stored more safely than otherwise . The safety provided by binary chemical weapons is especially important for people who live near ammunition dump s . The chemical reaction takes place when the weapon is deployed . Firing the munition or other deployment action removes the barrier between the two precursors , so they can react with one another . Commonly , there is a final stage which utilizes a bursting charge to aerosol ize and distribute the chemical agent . Binary chemical weapons are chemical weapons within the scope of the chemical weapons convention and therefore their production , use and stockpiling is forbidden in most countries . As at least one of the individual chemicals is likely to be a Schedule 1 chemical for which large scale production is forbidden . Examples . One example of a binary chemical weapon is the United States Army M687 . In the M687 , methylphosphonyl difluoride ( military name : DF , a Schedule 1 chemical ) and a mixture of isopropyl alcohol and isopropyl amine ( known as OPA ) are held in chambers within the weapon , separated by a partition . When the weapon is fired , acceleration causes the partition to break , and the precursors are mixed by the rotation of the weapon in flight , producing sarin nerve gas . The Soviet Union and later Russian Federation experimented with binary weapons capable of mixing and distributing two agents that would work together in worsening the effects of the weapon , an example of which would be the combination of nerve agents with blister agents . In popular culture . A miniature binary weapon is used in an assassination in the Frederick Forsyth novel " The Devil ' s Alternative " . It consists of two half - capsules , a non - resistant one containing potassium cyanide and an acid - resistant one containing hydrochloric acid . The substances mix after the halves are assembled and the seal between them is broken , and form hydrogen cyanide . The surplus acid eats through the capsule walls of the non - resistant half , and after a delay of several hours , the lethal content is released into the intestinal tract of whoever ingested it . In the 10th and 11th episodes of the 6th season of TV - series Dexter are shown preparation and application of binary weapon consisting of two containers filled with DF and isopropyl alcohol . While contacting two substances forms sarin . While technically possible , the assassination tool as discussed in the novel is presumably fictional . However , there are claims that in September 2003 the SVR ( Russian Foreign Intelligence Service ) prepared to assassinate Boris Berezovsky with a similar device . The 2002 movie " xXx " features a Soviet - made binary chemical weapon codenamed " Silent Night " , after its supposed ability to render an area silent by killing its inhabitants . In the movie , the chemical was acquired by the terrorist group Anarchy - 99 , and their leader , Yorgi , plans to launch missiles containing Silent Night from an autonomous solar - powered submarine called Ahab , with the intent to sow chaos among civilized nations as they all blame each other for the attacks . In the 1995 movie " Die Hard with a Vengeance " , the terrorists use timer and otherwise activated binary explosive bombs , where two inert fluids , a white and a red coloured , right before detonation mixed by the bombs ' mechanism creating a highly explosive mixture .