Rapid and selective visual detection of DCNP (nerve gas mimic) in sea water and soil with a simple paper strip

Nerve agents are extremely poisonous organophosphorus compounds. Due to their deadly activity towards the human and animal health, they are employed as chemical welfare agents; closely related compounds are used tremendously in the pesticide industry. Sea-dumping is considered as one of the conventional methods of disposal of these chemical weapons, but this may introduce a fatal consequence such as disruption of marine ecosystem and inclusion of these reactive and toxic substances into food chain. To detect the nerve gas we developed a very simple and low cost paper strip sensing method which can immediately recognize DCNP in visual range. A chemosensor, carbazole-salicylaldehyde based imine (CSI), has been introduced for selective detection and quantification of nerve gas (Tabun) mimic DCNP from sea water and soil in nanomolar range at neutral pH (pH 7.2, 10 mM Tris-HCl buffer).