Nonaqueous biocatalytic degradation of a nerve gas mimic.

Abstract

Organophosphorus hydrolase has been shown to be an effective catalyst for the continuous decontamination of a nerve agent in a continuous gas phase reactor. Very small quantities of the enzyme are sufficient to enable detoxification of low concentrations of the nerve agent for extended periods of time. In the case where the nerve agent is at high concentrations (a liquid), the enzyme has also been shown to be active in biphasic mixtures of a solvent with water. The activity and specificity of the enzyme in both environments (continuous gas phase and biphasic mixture) obey classical models of enzyme kinetics. The activity of the enzyme in such extreme environments enables optimization of systems capable of continuous gas or liquid phase biocatalytic degradation of highly toxic chemicals.