Molecularly imprinted polymer sensors for detection in the gas, liquid, and vapor phase.

Fast, reliable, and inexpensive analytical techniques for detection of airborne chemical warfare agents are desperately needed. Recent advances in the field of molecularly imprinted polymers have created synthetic nanomaterials that can sensitively and selectively detect these materials in aqueous environments, but thus far, they have not been demonstrated to work for detection of vapors. The imprinted polymers function by mimicking the function of biological receptors. They can provide high sensitivity and selectivity but, unlike their biological counterparts, maintain excellent thermal and mechanical stability. The traditional imprinted polymer approach is further enhanced in this work by the addition of a luminescent europium that has been introduced into the polymers to provide enhanced chemical affinity as well as a method for signal transduction to indicate the binding event. The europium in these polymers is so sensitive to the bound target; it can distinguish between species differing by a single methyl group. The imprinted polymer technology is fiber optic-based making it inexpensive and easily integratable with commercially available miniature fiber optic spectrometer technologies to provide a shoebox size device. In this work, we will describe efforts to apply these sensors for detection of airborne materials and vapors. Successful application of this technology will provide accurate low level vapor detection of chemical agents or pesticides with little to no false positives.

Vibrational frequencies and structural determinations of divinyl sulfoxide.

We present a detailed analysis of the structure and infrared spectra of divinyl sulfoxide. The vibrational frequencies of the divinyl sulfoxide molecule were analyzed using standard quantum chemical techniques. Frequencies were calculated at the MP2 and DFT levels of theory using the standard 6-311G* basis set. The molecule exists normally in a C(s) configuration. High-energy forms of divinyl sulfoxide with C(S) and C(1) symmetries also exist.

Correlation of structure and vibrational spectra of the zwitterion L-alanine in the presence of water: an experimental and density functional analysis.

Infrared vibrational spectra were collected along with the vibrational circular dichroism (VCD) spectra for the zwitterions alpha-D-alanine, alpha-L-alanine, alpha-D-mannose and alpha-L-mannose as potassium bromide (KBr) pressed samples. VCD for D- and L-alanine dissolved in water was also measured and compared against the spectra resulting from KBr pressed samples. The experimental data were compared against the ab initio B3LYP/6-31G* optimized geometry. The zwitterion structure of alpha-L-alanine was stabilized by the addition of water molecules. Computationally, beta-L-mannose was studied and resulting expected VCD bands assigned. We present the molecular structures resulting VCD spectra and infrared vibrational spectra from experimentation as compared with the computed results.

Vibrational frequencies and structural determinations of di-vinyl sulfone.

We present a detailed analysis of the structure and infrared spectra of di-vinyl sulfone. The vibrational frequencies of the di-vinyl sulfone molecule were analyzed using standard quantum chemical techniques. Frequencies were calculated at the MP2 and DFT levels of theory using the standard 6-311G* basis set. The structural transformation of the chemical agent bis(2-chloroehtyl) sulfide (HD, mustard gas) and the related symmetry to a previously study compounds [Spectrochim. Acta Part A 55 (1999) 121; Spectrochim. Acta Part A 57 (2001) 2417] makes the symmetry of the di-vinyl sulfone molecule an interesting candidate for study. The molecule exists normally in a C(2) configuration. High-energy forms of di-vinyl sulfone with C(S) and C(1) symmetries also exist.

Rotational Spectrum of Sarin.

As part of an effort to examine the possibility of using molecular-beam Fourier-transform microwave spectroscopy to unambiguously detect and monitor chemical warfare agents, we report the first observation and assignment of the rotational spectrum of the nerve agent Sarin (GB) (Methylphosphonofluoridic acid 1-methyl-ethyl ester, CAS #107-44-8) at frequencies between 10 and 22 GHz. Only one of the two low-energy conformers of this organophosphorus compound (C(4)H(10)FO(2)P) was observed in the rotationally cold (T(rot)<2 K) molecular beam. The experimental asymmetric-rotor ground-state rotational constants of this conformer are A=2874.0710(9) MHz, B=1168.5776(4) MHz, C=1056.3363(4) MHz (Type A standard uncertainties are given, i.e., 1sigma), as obtained from a least-squares analysis of 74 a-, b-, and c-type rotational transitions. Several of the transitions are split into doublets due to the internal rotation of the methyl group attached to the phosphorus. The three-fold-symmetry barrier to internal rotation estimated from these splittings is 677.0(4) cm(-1). Ab initio electronic structure calculations using Hartree-Fock, density functional, and Moller-Plesset perturbation theories have also been made. The structure of the lowest-energy conformer determined from a structural optimization at the MP2/6-311G(**) level of theory is consistent with our experimental findings. Copyright 2001 Academic Press.