US Government As Represented by the Secretary of the Army

John B Samuel

Yu-Chu Yang

William T Beaudry

Linda L Szafraniec

Dennis K Rohrbaugh

Clifford A Bunton

A method for detoxifying substituted and unsubstituted phosphonothiolates and phosphonothioic acids. The method requires reacting the phosphonothiolate or phosphonothioic acid with a sufficient amount of a compound containing an HSO.sub.5 -ion, for a sufficient time and under conditions sufficient to produce a reaction product having less toxicity than the phosphonothiolate or phosphonothioic acid. The preferred compound containing an HSO.sub.5 -ion is potassium monopersulfate, 2KHSO.sub.5.KHSO.sub.4.K2S0.sub.4.

Oxidative detoxification of phosphonothiolates and phosphonothioic acids

A process for the detoxification or decontamination of aminoalkyl phosphonothiolates and more particularly, the chemical warfare agent VX and its analogs. The process comprises adding water to the chemical agent so that an hydrolysis reaction of the chemical agent with water occurs at specified molar ratios. In a preferred embodiment, the detoxification process is carried out in situ within the chemical agent storage containers in the field and includes mixing the contents of the container after adding the water. The mixing may be accomplished by shaking, rolling, tumbling or pumping.

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Bel Air, MD, United States of America

John B Samuel