May 3, 2012  12  US 2012/0108878 Al  least one water-soluble polar organic amphipathic solvent  providing at least one dry or liquid activator and a reactive  oxygen species; mixing the solution, the dry activator, the one  liquid activator, and the reactive oxygen species to form a  decontamination mixture; and physically associating the  decontamination mixture with the toxant. Each solvent can be  a polar aprotic solvent, a polar-protic solvent, or combina› tions thereof. More specifically, the polar organic amphip› athic solvent can be a nitrile, a ketone, an aldehyde, a car› boxylic acid, an amide, a furan, an alkanol, a polyol, or  combinations thereof.  [0126]  The volume fraction of water in the solution can  range from about 25% to about 75%, and the pH of the  solution is less than or equal to about 8.5. Alternatively, the  pH can be maintained at less than or equal to about 8.0. The  invention is active against all agents as pH values between  about 7 .0 to about 10.5; the buffer capacity is more effective  at pH values between about 8.0 to about 9.0. However, for  maximum active life, the preferred embodiment is main› tained a pH values from about 8.0 to about 8.5. The pH can  further be maintained at a pH of about 8.5. In one embodi› ment, the invention relates to a system for decontaminating  chemical and biological agents comprising a polar organic  amphipathic solvent; an activator; and a reactive oxygen spe› cies; whereupon mixing, the amounts of the water-soluble  polar organic amphipathic solvent, the activator and the reac› tive oxygen species are sufficient to maintain a pH ofless than  or equal to about 8.5 and to produce an amount of singlet  oxygen molecules or percarboxylate anions to decontaminate  a threat load of toxant. Alternatively, the pH can be main› tained at less than or equal to about 8.0 The invention is active  against all agents as pH values between about 7 .0 to about  10.5; the buffer capacity is more effective at pH values  between about 8.0 to about 9.0. However, for maximum  active life, the preferred embodiment is maintained a pH  values from about 8.0 to about 8.5. The pH can further be  maintained at a pH of about 8.5.  [0127]  As used herein, the term "nitrile" refers to any mol› ecule or organic compound or solvent that contains a -C N  functional group in which the carbon atom and the nitrogen  atom are triple bonded together. Examples of nitriles include,  but are not limited to acetonitrile and rose nitrile. The prefix  cyano- is used in chemical nomenclature to indicate the pres› ence of a nitrile group in a molecule. The term "ketone" or  "aldehyde" refers to any molecule or organic compound or  solvent that contains a  ----CHx  O functional group in which  the carbon atom and the oxygen atom are double bonded  together. The term "alkanol" refers to any organic compound  or solvent containing a single -OH group in its chemical  structure. Examples of alkanols include, but are not limited  to, straight chain alcohols, such as methanol, ethanol, pro› panol, isopropanol, butanol and hexanol. The term "polyol"  refers to any organic solvent or solute containing at least two  -OH groups in its chemical structure. In polymer chemistry,  polyols are compounds with multiple hydroxyl functional  groups available for organic reactions.  [0128]  The term "polyol" includes, but is not limited to: (i)  dials (e.g., ethylene glycol, polyethylene glycol, propylene  glycol, polypropylene glycol, and any of the isomers of pro› panediol, butanediol or pentanediol); (ii) trials, which are  organic compounds containing three hydroxyl groups ( e.g.,  the trihydric alcohol 1,2,3-propane-triol, CHiOH)CH(OH)  CHiOH), (glycerol); and (iii) polyols, includinghigherorder  polyols, which include any organic compound having more  than two -OH groups (e.g., polyethylene glycol, polypro› pylene glycol, and poly(tetramethylene ether) glycol and the  sugar polyols.  [0129]  The main use of polymeric polyols is as reactants to  make other polymers. For example, polymeric polyols can be  reacted with isocyanates to make polyurethanes, which use  consumes most polyether polyols. Common polyether dials  are polyethylene glycol, polypropylene glycol, and poly(tet› ramethylene ether) glycol. The preferred polyols of the  present invention are low molecular weight dials and trials  based on simple carbon chains, and the polyols known col› lectively  as  polyoxyethylene-polyoxypropylene  block  co-polymers. These compounds have low vapor pressures,  high boiling points, low freezing points, high valued flash  points, and low viscosities, especially under dynamic shear.  These compounds can also readily solubilize both amphip› athic organophosphates and sources of the reactive oxygen  species and chemical activators.  [0130]  The solvents used fortoxant hydrolysis can be polar,  aprotic and/or polar, protic solvents, or a combination thereof,  or polar, protic solvents individually. The use of these sol› vents can promote certain types of nucleophilic attack and  thereby enhance the oxidation and hydrolysis or perhydroly› sis of phosphate ester and blister agents, as well as of phos› pholipids, proteins, and DNA or RNA.  [0131]  In certain embodiments of the invention, hydrolysis  or perhydrolysis of toxants can be enhanced by using reactive  oxygen species, including, but not limited to hydrogen per› oxide and peroxyacetic acid. These two compounds represent  entirely different groups of chemical compounds. A peroxide  is a compound containing an oxygen-oxygen single bond,  while peroxy acids ( also known as peroxyacids and peracids)  are acids in which an acidic -OH group has been replaced by  an -00  H group. Peroxides and peroxy acid have the general  structures:  [0132]  Peroxides tend to decompose easily and can some› times initiate explosive reactions. Peroxy acids are generally  not very stable in solution and decompose to ordinary oxy› acids and oxygen. One novel discovery of the present inven› tion is that dry sources of the peroxides, and separately, dry  sources of the peroxy acids, such as TAED, are stable when  dissolved in the organic/aqueous solutions of the invention,  and require activation for maximum efficacy and speed  against chemical and biological agents, including, but not  limited to, aromatic hydrocarbons, mustards, environmental  mutagens, organophosphate pesticides, nerve agents and bac› teria.  [0133]  Hydrogen peroxide decontaminates chemical war› fare agents (CWAs) more efficiently in alkaline solutions that  generate Hoo-. In some instances, the alkaline perhydrolysis  process is considerably faster than analogous alkaline  hydrolysis or neutral oxidation processes. This is attributed to  an increased nucleophilicity of HOO-due to the presence of  a lone pair of electrons on the oxygen atom adjacent to the  nucleophilic centre. This phenomenon is referred to as the  ’a-effect’. Although not fully understood, a-effects are his- R-0-0-R’  Peroxides  Peroxy acids 