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DETECTION OF NERVE GAS AGENTS USING A RHODAMINE-B BASED SENSOR**

Abstract

Nerve gas agents are highly toxic chemicals that can be used in chemical warfare. These compounds are often lethal and frequently result in large numbers of casualties when used. Typically, these compounds are extremely difficult, if not impossible, to detect until it is too late to counteract them. In this study, a sensor was synthesized using rhodamine-B to detect low concentrations of the nerve gas mimic diethyl chlorophosphate (DECP) using fluorescence. This compound was expected to produce a fluorescence band at approximately 580 nm with the intensity increasing as the concentration of DECP increases, but the results showed that at very low concentrations, the intensity increased with added DECP and peaked when the concentration was 0.0001 M, then the intensity decreased as more DECP was added. Lower concentrations of DECP also result in a color change from clear to pink, but as the concentration increases, the color change becomes less apparent. These findings show that the sensor can detect the DECP and that higher concentrations of this nerve gas mimic quench the fluorescence band in the fluorimeter. This study can be expanded upon by investigating other methods of detection and comparing efficiency of different sensors in detecting the nerve gas mimic.

Acknowledgements

Department of Chemistry, Physics, and Astronomy, Georgia College & State University

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