The present invention relates to a method for modifying a textile yarn or fabric by immobilising a cyclodextrin derivative on said yarn or fabric, said process comprising a step (a) of contacting said textile yarn or fabric with said cyclodextrin derivative and with a bridging agent such as 1,2,3,4-butanetetracarboxylic acid, optionally in the presence of a catalyst such as cyanamide,

to obtain a textile yarn or fabric on which the cyclodextrin derivative of formula (I) is immobilised.

A solid particulate reactive sorbent for decontaminating toxic chemical and biological agents and its method of making. The reactive sorbent comprising a plurality of aggregates formed from linked hydrophilic nanoparticles and individual nanoparticles that bind at least one detoxifier, such that the sorbent absorbs the agents, allowing the detoxifier to oxidize and decontaminate the agents for removal. More preferably, the hydrophilic nanoparticles comprise fumed silica and the detoxifier comprises hydrogen peroxide.

Provided are MOF-fabric composites having a crystalline MOF adhered directly to fibers of the fabric and methods of making MOF-fabric composites. A solution is adsorbed onto a fabric. The solution can include a metal salt, a linker, and a solvent. The solution is adsorbed onto the fabric and the fabric suspended over a heated vapor. The vapor releases onto the fabric, causing the metal salt, the linker, and the solvent to diffuse out of the polymer fibers. The linker links metal from the metal salts to form crystals attached to the fabric, and the vapor aids crystallization.

The present invention relates to enzymes capable of hydrolysing organophosphate (OP) molecules. In particular, the invention relates to variants of the OpdA enzyme from Agrobacterium that display improved activity when compared to the naturally occurring OpdA. The invention is also towards polypeptides that have organophosphate hydrolysing activity for the organophosphates chlorpyrifos methyl, diazinon and parathion ethyl.

In one embodiment, a hydrogel-enzyme construct for performing high temperature enzymatic reaction on paraoxon, and/or for performing enzymatic reaction on paraoxon following exposure to high temperature, includes a hydrogel having multiple layers of poly(methacrylic acid) (PMAA) and a plurality of dPTE2 enzyme molecules. Individual dPTE2 enzyme molecules are embedded between adjacent PMAA layers and are covalently bonded with respective individual PMAA layers. The hydrogel-enzyme construct is capable of performing enzymatic reaction on the paraoxon when the paraoxon is exposed to the hydrogel-enzyme construct under a temperature condition of up to above 99° C. and below 100° C. or when the paraoxon is exposed to the hydrogel-enzyme construct after the hydrogel-enzyme construct has been heated to a temperature condition of up to 550° C., where the enzymatic reaction on the paraoxon by individual dPTE2 molecules embedded within the hydrogel occurs at a residual activity of between 20% and 100%.

A method of implementing organic synthesis reactions uses a composition containing a metal catalyst originating from a calcined plant. The plants can be from the Brassicaceae, Sapotaceae and Convolvulaceae family, and the metal catalyst contains metal in the M(II) form such as zinc, nickel, manganese, lead, cadmium, calcium, magnesium or copper. Examples of the organic synthesis reactions include halogenations, electrophilic reactions, cycloadditions, transesterification reactions and coupling reactions, among others.

A catalyst includes a bis(2-pyridylmethyl)amine-based ligand. A method of forming a catalyst, may include: reacting bis(2-pyridylmethyl)amine-based compound with a terminal azide and/or a terminal alkyne in the presence of Cu(I) to form a bis(2-pyridylmethyl)amine-based ligand. A method of using such catalysts may include neutralizing toxicity of at least one organophosphorus-based compound by reacting the organophosphorus-based compound with a bis(2-pyridylmethyl)amine-based ligand-metal complex.

The present invention relates to organophosphorous hydrolase variants. The present invention also relates to polynucleotides encoding the variants; nucleic acid constructs, vectors, and host cells comprising the polynucleotides; and methods of using the variants.

Compositions and methods for oxidizing organic contaminants while sequestering inhibitory forms of carbon. An oxidant capable of producing free radicals oxidizes organic contaminants. A metal oxide, metal hydroxide, or metal peroxide generates a soluble hydroxide concentration of about 1×10.sup.−4 M or greater to convert carbonic acid, bicarbonate ion, methane, elemental carbon, and other organic forms of carbon to carbonate ion. A metal having a carbonate with a lower solubility product constant than its hydroxide precipitates the carbonate ion as a metal carbonate, thereby eliminating soluble carbonate as a radical scavenger. Compositions and methods that additionally minimize metal solubilization and sequester solubilized metals are also disclosed.

There are disclosed processes for destructing a toxic chemical including the steps of mixing the toxic chemical with a liquid phase formed by an aqueous mixture of water and an ionic liquid or molten salt which is miscible with water, the ionic liquid or molten salt comprising a tertiary amine group or quaternary ammonium group; and contacting the toxic chemical in the liquid phase with the ionic liquid or molten salt so as to decompose the toxic chemical.