Preparatory Commission for the                                 PC-XIV/B/8            
Organisation for the Prohibition                               26 July 1996          
of Chemical Weapons                                            Original:  ENGLISH    
                                                                                     

(22 - 26 July 1996)

NOTE BY THE EXECUTIVE SECRETARY

HANDBOOK ON CHEMICALS

(Appendix 2 of the OPCW Declaration Handbook)

1. The Secretariat is currently undertaking a number of practical preparations for the entry into force of the Convention. One of them is the preparation of a "Handbook on Chemicals", which will itself be an Appendix to another handbook (Appendix 2 of the OPCW Declaration Handbook, to be precise).

2. The primary aim of this handbook will be to identify those chemicals which are covered by the Convention's Schedules. These Schedules contain individual chemical compounds, as well as a number of structural groups. It was essential to identify which specific compounds make up these structural groups. This information will facilitate the completion of the declaration forms, and will be essential to Member States in the context of identifying those industrial activities and facilities which they will need to declare after the entry into force of the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC). The handbook may also be used by chemical industry associations to advise their affiliated companies of any impact which the Convention may have on them.

3. To this end, the Secretariat has compiled the results of a number of database searches. The results are currently being validated. The Secretariat will shortly issue Version 1 of the Handbook on Chemicals, which will contain:

(a) a listing of the Chemical Abstract Service (CAS) registry numbers and nomenclature data (chemical names and synonyms, structural formulae and molecular formulae) of all chemical compounds that are listed individually in the Annex on Chemicals;

(b) a listing of the CAS registry numbers and nomenclature data (chemical names and synonyms, structural formulae and molecular formulae) of all chemical compounds that belong to the structural groups listed in the Annex on Chemicals and that have been identified in germane health and safety databases; and

(c) a listing of the CAS registry numbers and nomenclature data (chemical names and synonyms, structural formulae and molecular formulae) of all chemical compounds that belong to the structural groups listed in the Annex on Chemicals and that could be identified in chemical product inventories.

4. A listing of the CAS registry numbers and nomenclature data of all other chemical compounds that belong to the structural groups listed in the Annex on Chemicals and for which a CAS registry number has been issued is held by the Secretariat and can be consulted by interested delegations.

5. Member States will be notified as soon as Version 1 of the Handbook on Chemicals is ready for collection. It will be made available both in print and on diskette.

6. For Version 2 of the Handbook on Chemicals the Secretariat will identify, among the chemical names and synonyms, the IUPAC names to be used as search criteria for finding scheduled chemicals. The Secretariat will also continue its search of scientific and commercial databases for scheduled chemicals not already included in Version 1 of the handbook. In this regard the Secretariat invites Member States to communicate, as soon as possible, the chemical names, synonyms, CAS registry numbers, and molecular and structural formulae of chemicals not identified in Version 1 of the Handbook on Chemicals, or any additional information which they may have on those chemicals already included in it.

- - - o - - -