Chiral SFC Separation of Chemical Warfare Nerve Agents Using the Whelk-O® 1 CSP Application Note

Chemical warfare nerve agents (CWNAs) are extremely toxic organophosphorus compounds that contain a chiral phosphorus center. Because exposure of soldiers and civilians to CWNAs as a result of potential terrorist and other activities is a serious threat, the toxicity of these compounds has been studied extensively. The US Army Medical Research Institute of Chemical Defense recently demonstrated the effectiveness of the Whelk-O 1 (S,S) and Whelk-O 1 (R,R) Chiral Stationary Phase (CSPs) for the chiral separation of a class of extremely toxic chiral organophosphorus (OP) compounds called the G-type CWNAs (Chirality, 2014 [Dec; 26(12): 817-824]).