Monitoring Chemical Warfare Agents: A New Method for the Detection of Methylphosphonic Acid

Jon A Ashley; Chao-Hsiung Lin; Peter Wirsching; Kim D Janda

doi:10.1002/(SICI)1521-3773(19990614)38:12<1793::AID-ANIE1793>3.0.CO;2-U

Monitoring Chemical Warfare Agents: A New Method for the Detection of Methylphosphonic Acid

Angew Chem Int Ed Engl. 1999 Jun 14;38(12):1793-1795. doi: 10.1002/(SICI)1521-3773(19990614)38:12<1793::AID-ANIE1793>3.0.CO;2-U.

Authors

Jon A Ashley¹, Chao-Hsiung Lin¹, Peter Wirsching¹, Kim D Janda¹

Affiliation

¹ The Scripps Research Institute, Departments of Molecular Biology and Chemistry, 10666 N. Torrey Pines Road, La Jolla, CA 92037 (USA), Fax: (+1) 619-784-2595.

Abstract

Methylphosphonic acid (MPA) is the degradation product of many chemical warfare agents. The convenient detection of this substance would aid in field testing to confirm illicit manufacture and use of banned chemical weapons. Efficient functionalization of MPA with an aromatic diazo compound allowed binding by monoclonal antibodies elicited by using an analogous hapten (see scheme). An ELISA assay was rapid, sensitive, and specific.

Keywords: Analytical methods; Chemical warfare agents; Immunoassays; Methyl phosphonic acid; Phosphorus.