New method discovered to protect
against chemical weapon
Oregon State University
—CORVALLIS, Ore. -- May 27, 2014 Researchers at Oregon State University have
discovered that some compounds called polyoxoniobates can degrade and
decontaminate nerve agents such as the deadly sarin gas, and have other
characteristics that may make them ideal for protective suits, masks or other
clothing.
The use of polyoxoniobates
for this purpose had never before been demonstrated, scientists said, and the
discovery could have important implications for both military and civilian
protection. A United Nations report last year concluded that sarin gas was used
in the conflict in Syria
The study findings were just
published in the European Journal of
Inorganic Chemistry.
Some other compounds exist
that can decontaminate nerve gases, researchers said, but they are organic,
unstable, degraded by sunlight and have other characteristics that make them
undesirable for protective clothing – or they are inorganic, but cannot be used
on fabrics or surfaces.
By contrast, the
polyoxoniobates are inorganic, do not degrade in normal environmental
conditions, dissolve easily and it should be able to incorporate them onto
surfaces, fabrics and other material.
“This is a fundamental new
understanding of what these compounds can do,” said May Nyman, an associate
professor in the Department of Chemistry in the OSU College of Science. “As
stable, inorganic compounds they have an important potentential to decontaminate
and protect against these deadly nerve bases.”
As a chemical group,
polyoxoniobates have been knon of since the mid-1900s, Nyman said, but a
detailed investigation of their complex chemistry has revealed this new
potential. Besides protection against nerve gas, she said, their chemistry
might allow them to function as a catalyst that could absorb carbon dioxide and
find use in carbon sequestration at fossil-fuel power plants – but little has
been done yet to explore that potential.
A new method to protect
against nerve agents could be significant. These organofluorophosphate
compounds can be inhaled or absorbed through the skin, and in military use are
considered weapons of mass destruction. They can be lethal even at very small
levels of exposure.
“In continued work we hope
to incorporate the protective compounds onto surfaces or fabrics and explore
their function,” Nyman said. “They could form the basis for an improved type of
gas mask or other protection. We would also need to test the material’s ability
to withstand very arid environments, extreme heat or other conditions.”
A goal will be materials
that are durable, high performing and retain a high level of protection against
nerve agents such as sarin and soman gas even in harsh environmental
conditions, researchers said.
The OSU research
demonstrated the ability of polyoxoniobates to neutralize both actual and
simulated nerve agents. Testing against actual nerve agents was done at the Edgewood Chemical Biological
Center
OSU has collaborated on this
research with Sandia National Laboratories and the U.S. Army. The work at Edgewood was supported by the Defense Threat Reduction
Agency, a unit of the U.S. Department of Defense.
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