In the presence of half mustard, the dithiol does not react with the squaraine dye so the dye’s blue colour is visible
Scientists in the US are trying to develop a new detection system for the chemical warfare agent mustard gas.
There is no antidote to mustard gas, which burns the skin, eyes and respiratory system. Victims not killed by an attack are left severely incapacitated. It is an environmentally persistent chemical and its cruel effects can take around 12 hours to take hold. A cheap and simple sensor to alert civilians and emergency responders to its presence is obviously desirable.
Eric Anslyn and Vinod Kumar at the University of Texas at Austin are getting closer to such a system. With the knowledge that chlorine atoms in mustard gas will readily react with good nucleophiles like thiols, they have designed a dithiol and squaraine dye system to give a clear colour change in the presence of the mustard gas simulant 2-chloroethyl ethyl sulfide, also known as half mustard.
Read the full article in Chemistry World»
Read the original journal article in Chemical Science:
A selective and sensitive chromogenic and fluorogenic detection of a sulfur mustard simulant
Vinod Kumar and Eric V. Anslyn
Chem. Sci., 2013, Advance Article, DOI: 10.1039/C3SC52259H
