Mesoporous manganese oxide for warfare agents degradation

Manganese(IV) oxides were prepared by homogeneous hydrolysis of potassium permanganate with 2-chloroacetamide and direct reaction of potassium permanganate with manganese(II) sulfate in aqueous solutions. Synthesized manganese(IV) oxides were characterized using Brunauer–Emmett–Teller (BET) surface area and Barrett–Joiner–Halenda porosity (BJH), X-ray diffraction (XRD), infrared spectroscopy (IR), and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). These oxides were taken for an experimental evaluation of their reactivity with sulfur mustard (HD or bis(2-Chloroethyl)sulfide), soman (GD or (3,3′-dimethylbutan-2-yl)-) and VX agent (S-[-(diisopropylamino)ethyl]-O-ethyl-methylphosphonothionate). The degree of conversion for sulfur mustard and agent VX is very good for both samples and come up to 95% and 99%, respectively. In the contrast to sulfur mustard and agent VX, degradation of soman was only 56% of the cryptomelane-type MnO2 and 18% of the birnessite-type MnO2.

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► New method of preparation manganese oxides-homogeneous hydrolysis with thioacetamide.
► High degree of conversion of sulfur mustard.
► One-pot synthesis.