NOVEL ACTIVE SORBENTS FOR DECONTAMINATION OF CHEMICAL WARFARE AGENTS

PRESENTLY DIATOMACIOUS EARTH/FULLER'S EARTH ARE COMMONLY USED FOR DECONTAMINATION OF C.W.A., BUT THE CAPACITY OF THESE SORBENTS ARE ONLY LIMITED TO 25% OF THE SOLID'S WEIGHT. THIS EFFORT IS TO DEVELOP A REACTIVE SORBENT WHICH WILL CHEMICALLY (OR CATALYTICALLY) DESTROY THE C.W.A. WE HAVE CHOSEN HIGH SURFACE AREA INEXPENSIVE POROUS SILICA AS THE STARTING SORBENT. POROUS SILICA WILL BE SILANIZED BY VARIETIES OF SILANES TO PRODUCE HYDROLYTICALLY STABLE SI-O-SI LINKAGES. THE SILANES HAVE BEEN SO CHOOSEN THAT THERE WILL BE TERMINAL ACTIVE FUNCTIONS FOR FURTHER DERIVITIZATIONS WITH DESIRED LIGANDS. THE SYNTHESIZED ACTIVATED SORBENT WILL CARRY IN ALL CASES TERMINAL MOIETIES WHICH WILL DESTROY THE C.W.A. THE FOLLOWING TYPES OF FUNCTIONALITIES WILL BE AVAILABLE IN THE MODIFIED SILICEOUS SORBENTS: (I) WEAK AND STRONG CATIONIC GROUPS (II) AROMATICS CONTAINING TERTIARY AMINES (III) STRONG ANIONIC GROUPS (IV) CHELATORS (V) NUCLEOPHILES LIKE PYRIDINE, IMIDAZOLE, PYRROLE, PYRROLIDINE AND MORPHOLINE (VI) CHLOROSULFONAMIDES (VII) 4-N, N (DIMETHYLAMINO) PYRIDINE (VIII) LEAVING GROUPS LIKE CARBONYL IMIDAZOLE AND 2-HYDROXYPYRIDINE (IX) THIOL GROUPS AND (X) ACTIVE CHLORINE. AFTER SYNTHESIS, EACH OF THE ACTIVATED SORBENTS WILL BE ANALYZED FOR INCORPORATION (QUALITATIVELY AND QUANTITATIVELY).