Identification of Pairs of Organophosphorus Warfare Agents through Cholinesterase Reaction

• Published in: Analytical letters 2011-10, Vol.44 (15), p.2521-2529
• Main Authors: Hoskovcová, Monika, Dubina, Pavel, Halámek, Emil, Kobliha, Zbyněk
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Acetylcholinesterase reactivator; Analytical chemistry; Biological and medical sciences; Biosensors; Biotechnology; Chemistry; Cholinesterase; Colorimetric biosensor; Colorimetry; Dealkylation; Exact sciences and technology; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; GA, tabun; GB, sarin; GD, soman; General, instrumentation; GF, cyclosarin; Mathematical analysis; Methods. Procedures. Technologies; Nerve agent; Nerves; Neural analysis; Poisoning; R-33, agent R-33; RBF, Radial Basis Function-type network; Spectrometric and optical methods; Utilization; Various methods and equipments; VVPS, multilayer perceptron network; VX, agent VX; Warfare
• ISSN: 0003-2719; 1532-236X
• DOI: 10.1080/00032719.2011.551860

Construction of Detehit (nerve-agent detector), a colorimetric biosensor of nerve agents, enables its utilization for selective analysis of nerve agents based on the different ability of nucleophilic reagents to reactivate enzyme-inhibitor complexes in the phase before dealkylation. For this purpose mono- and bispyridinium aldoximes, common in treatment of nerve agent poisoning, are used. For a positive identification of a pair of organophosphates, a neural network analysis was used. The analysis was processed based on spectral data of the intensity of color changes of the surface of a cotton cloth reaction zone with immobilized and stabilized enzyme acetylcholinesterase. Color changes are based on Ellman's reaction. Intensity of these changes depends on activity of the enzyme after inhibition and reactivation of enzyme-inhibitor complex. The following nerve agents were identified: sarin, soman, tabun, cyclosarin, VX, and R-33.