title: Biopolymer metal catalysts for the hydrolysis of nerve gases.
abstract: Glucosamine oligomers--monomer through tetramer--form complexes with Cu2+ that catalyse the hydrolysis of the 'nerve gas' 1,2,2-trimethylpropyl- methylphosphonofluroidate (soman) by cleaving the P-F bond. A 1/1 glucosamine/Cu2+ ratio whether as glucosamine or glucosamine units, gives the highest hydrolytic rate over the 11.5/1 to 1/1 range. This trend also appears to hold for a glucosamine polymer, chitosan, which, when complexed with Cu2+ also hydrolyzes soman. The relatively low rate of hydrolysis by this polymer-Cu2+ complex, while not yet explainable, is consistent with an extrapolation of the monomer-through-tetramer series. The question may be raised as to whether these biopolymer metal complexes provide any clues to the involvement of Mn2+ in the functioning of one class of P-F cleaving enzymes.
authors.affiliation: Biology Department, Illinois Institute of Technology, Chicago 60616.
authors.forename: F C
authors.initials: FC
authors.lastname: Hoskin
authors.forename: K S
authors.initials: KS
authors.lastname: Rajan
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Remy
authors.forename: J E
authors.initials: JE
authors.lastname: Walker
mesh_terms: D002384:Catalysis; D002614:Chelating Agents / Q000494:pharmacology; D002686:Chitin / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000494:pharmacology; D048271:Chitosan; D003300:Copper / Q000494:pharmacology*; D005944:Glucosamine / Q000494:pharmacology*; D006868:Hydrolysis; D007700:Kinetics; D011108:Polymers; D012999:Soman / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D002614:Chelating Agents; D011108:Polymers; D002686:Chitin; D003300:Copper; D048271:Chitosan; D012999:Soman; D005944:Glucosamine