New Aspects of Liquid Crystals and Foams in Decontamination
Abstract
Pseudo first order rate constants are reported for the dephosphorylation of diethyl 4-nitrophenylphosphate in several micellar and liquid crystalline solvent systems at pH of 12 to 13 and 25 C. These measurements indicate that cationic surfactants enhance the hydrolysis of diethyl 4-nitrophenylphosphate, while anionic surfactants inhibit the chemical reaction. Rate constants for the dephosphorylation of the chemical agent simulant in a series of aqueous hexadecyltrimethylammonium hydroxide/ hexadecyltrimethylammonium hydroxide liquid crystalline solvents were not significantly different than the rate constant in micellar hexadecyltrimethylammonium hydroxide solution. There was no overwhelming experimental evidence to recommend the more concentrated surfactant solutions over micellar solutions in the decontamination of chemical agents. The merits of foams as decontamination media are discussed. Preliminary kinetic measurements reveal that foamed didodecyldimethylammonium hydroxide surfactant solutions enhance the dephosphorylation of diethyl 4-nitrophenylphosphate, though the observed enhancement is not as large as in the corresponding unfoamed micellar solvent. Keywords: Decontamination; Hydrolysis; Catalysis; Liquid crystals; Foams; Decontamination materials.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jan 01, 1990
- Accession Number
- ADA219738
Entities
People
- Glenn H. Brown
- William E. Acree Jr.
Organizations
- Kent State University