Hydrolysis and enzymatic degradation of Novichok nerve agents

Steven P Harvey; Leslie R McMahon; Frederic J Berg

doi:10.1016/j.heliyon.2019.e03153

Hydrolysis and enzymatic degradation of Novichok nerve agents

Heliyon. 2020 Jan 7;6(1):e03153. doi: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2019.e03153. eCollection 2020 Jan.

Authors

Steven P Harvey¹, Leslie R McMahon¹, Frederic J Berg¹

Affiliation

¹ U.S. Army Combat Capabilities and Development Command Chemical Biological Center, Aberdeen Proving Ground, MD, 21010-5424, USA.

Abstract

Several parameters of the Novichok nerve agents A230, A232 and A234 were determined. Hydrolysis rates were approximately one to three orders of magnitude slower than G-type nerve agents and approximately zero to two orders of magnitude slower than V-type nerve agents. A230 was the most labile Novichok compound followed by A232 then A234. Activation energies (E_a) and frequency factors (A) were determined for all three compounds. The organophosphorus acid anhydrolase (OPAA) enzyme had catalytic efficiencies on the Novichok compounds ranging between 10⁴ and 10⁵ M^-1 min^-1 with the highest k _cat/K_m value for A230, then A232 and lastly, A234.

Keywords: A230; A232; A234; Enzyme; Hydrolysis; Novichok; Organic chemistry; Physical chemistry.