Premium
Nonaqueous Biocatalytic Degradation of a Nerve Gas Mimic
Author(s) -
Yang Fangxiao,
Wild James R.,
Russell Alan J.
Publication year - 1995
Publication title -
biotechnology progress
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.572
H-Index - 129
eISSN - 1520-6033
pISSN - 8756-7938
DOI - 10.1021/bp00034a018
Subject(s) - nerve agent , chemistry , enzyme , degradation (telecommunications) , gas phase , solvent , immobilized enzyme , human decontamination , phase (matter) , biocatalysis , kinetics , liquid phase , chemical engineering , enzyme assay , catalysis , enzyme catalysis , chromatography , organic chemistry , reaction mechanism , thermodynamics , waste management , telecommunications , physics , engineering , acetylcholinesterase , quantum mechanics , computer science
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.