Affiliation:
1. Department of Chemistry, Sarsuna College, Kolkata-700061, India
Abstract
In last five decades, organophosphorus compounds have become significant because of the widespread
uses as pesticides abutting a clear threat to people from the potential use of chemical weapon as nerve
agents in the cold wars and terrorist activities. Sarin, tabun, soman, cyclosarin belong to
organophosphorus compounds called nerve agents due to their biological interaction as powerful
inhibitor of enzyme acetylcholinesterase (AChE) and rendered its neurological function, the underlying
mechanism is discussed. The identification and detection of such toxic nerve agents using spectrometry,
sensors including enzymatic assays is the prime target of recent researchers. Typically some antidotes
like oxime derivatives are most common and are the light of hope for nerve gas exposure. The modern
techniques applied for the discovery of new antidote and their way of action by reactivating the blocked
nerve enzyme and the hidden mechanism of reactivation of AchE are explained.
Publisher
Asian Journal of Chemistry