Premium
Fluorescent Sensors for the Detection of Chemical Warfare Agents
Author(s) -
Burnworth Mark,
Rowan Stuart J.,
Weder Christoph
Publication year - 2007
Publication title -
chemistry – a european journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.687
H-Index - 242
eISSN - 1521-3765
pISSN - 0947-6539
DOI - 10.1002/chem.200700720
Subject(s) - chemical warfare agents , nerve agent , chemical agents , chemical warfare , nanotechnology , hazardous waste , fluorescence , biological warfare , computer science , chemistry , acetylcholinesterase , biochemical engineering , engineering , materials science , biology , toxicology , enzyme , biochemistry , ecology , physics , microbiology and biotechnology , quantum mechanics
Along with biological and nuclear threats, chemical warfare agents are some of the most feared weapons of mass destruction. Compared to nuclear weapons they are relatively easy to access and deploy, which makes them in some aspects a greater threat to national and global security. A particularly hazardous class of chemical warfare agents are the nerve agents. Their rapid and severe effects on human health originate in their ability to block the function of acetylcholinesterase, an enzyme that is vital to the central nervous system. This article outlines recent activities regarding the development of molecular sensors that can visualize the presence of nerve agents (and related pesticides) through changes of their fluorescence properties. Three different sensing principles are discussed: enzyme‐based sensors, chemically reactive sensors, and supramolecular sensors. Typical examples are presented for each class and different fluorescent sensors for the detection of chemical warfare agents are summarized and compared.