Aluminum Sulfate and Sodium Aluminate Buffer Solutions for the Destruction of Phosphorus Based Chemical Warfare Agents

Authors

Daniel J. Williams, Kennesaw State UniversityFollow
William R. Creasy, SAIC
David McGarvy, Aberdeen Proving Ground
Roderick A. Fry, Aberdeen Proving Ground
Vicky L. H. Bevilacqua, Aberdeen Proving GroundFollow
H. Dupont Durst, Aberdeen Proving Ground

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

2009

Abstract

Nerve agents VX and GB (sarin) are sequestered and removed by aluminum sulfate and sodium aluminate mixts. adjusted to pH 4 in soln. The products of hydrolysis are removed with the alum floc below NMR detection limits over time depending and the amt. of aluminum molar excess relative to agent. Half-lives for GB decompn. are 3.1 h and 1.1 h, resp., for a 120 and a 1200 M excess. For VX, the half-lives are 8.5 d and 2.9 d for a 240 and a 5000 M aluminum excess. In the case of GB, fluorine is sequestered as the hexafluoroaluminate ion. In the case of VX, no phosphorus contg. hydrolysis products including the very toxic S-[2-(diisopropyl-amino)-ethyl]methylphosphonothiolate (EA-2192) are detected in the hydrolyzate.