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LOW-TEMPERATURE, LIQUID-PHASE PROCESSES 116 diester or to remove HF is necessary to prevent formation of GB from reaction of HF with the diester. Advantages of this process are that the volatility of GB is much reduced when GB is dissolved in ethanolamine, that the reaction occurs cleanly as depicted (Greenhalgh and Weinberger, 1967), and that the corrosion of process equipment is minimal. Its principal disadvantage is the total mount of organic material produced, which will require further treatment. The nitrogen content is expected to increase the production of nitrogen oxide compounds on final oxidation. This methodology was used by Soviet authorities to destroy about 200 tons of nerve agents in faulty chemical munitions that contained no explosives (Leonov, 1991). The committee is unaware of any American pilot plant studies. It has also been found useful for HD detoxification (see later section on mustard). VX Reaction with NaOH with and without hydrogen peroxide, in water. VX reacts with aqueous NaOH (Eq. 5), but the resulting product A-1 is very toxicânearly as toxic as VXâwhen administered intravenously to rabbits (Yang et al., 1990b). Further hydrolysis of product A-1 should be achievable, possibly at more severe conditions or through use of catalysts or improved hydrolysis systems. Addition of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) to aqueous NaOH was recently found to avoid formation of product A-1 and to give the same products shown for reaction of VX with the commercial product OXONE® (Eq. 6) followed by neutralization by the NaOH present (Yang, 1992c). The combination of NaOH and H2O2 reagent might be effective for the detoxification of GB, but the committee does not know of any research specifically on this subject. H2O2 is relatively inexpensive and its residue after reaction is water.
LOW-TEMPERATURE, LIQUID-PHASE PROCESSES 117 Reaction with oxidizing agents in acid solutiorn. VX is rapidly detoxified by several oxidizing agents, of which chlorine in aqueous acid (acid chlorinolysis) and OXONE are of interest for demilitarization purposes. Equation 6 shows the reaction of VX with OXONE, which is a mixture of KHSO5, KHSO4, and K2SO4 in 2:1:1 molar proportions (Yang et al., 1992a). The reactions in acid chlorinolysis and in oxidation with H2O2 in aqueous NaOH share an important characteristic with the OXONE reaction, namely, that the PâS bond is broken and products of reduced toxicity are formed. Although these oxidative methods can all be effective for demilitarization, they differ in some attributes. Acid chlorinolysis and treatment with OXONE are conducted in a strongly acidic solution, which may encourage equipment corrosion. Chlorination involves use of chlorine gas, the first poison gas used in World War I but a common substance in most American communities, where it is used for chlorination of swimming pools and drinking water supplies. OXONE is a mixture of salts that, when combined with the salts of the acidic products of reaction with VX, would increase the waste stream for ultimate disposal.
