Solubility and selective oxidation of 2-chloroethyl ethyl sulfide in imidazole-based ionic liquids

Decontamination of 2-Chloroethyl ethyl sulfide on the surface by atmospheric pressure plasma jet

Atmospheric pressure plasma jet (APPJ) were used to decontaminate the surface's 2-Chloroethyl ethyl sulfide (2-CEES), a kind of sulfur mustard (HD) simulant. The power of the APPJ device didn't exceed 7.77 W. Helium APPJ was easier to generate plasma jet than argon APPJ. The treated nude mouse skin surface's temperature slowly reached 30.4 °C and no obvious lesions in the dermis and skin appendages after 15 min treatment. Compared with argon APPJ, the helium APPJ produced more ·OH and the maximum concentration of ·OH was 3.748 × 10^-9 mol/L. Attributed to the low density and more ·OH content, the helium APPJ had a better decontamination effect. With a maximum voltage of 7 kV and a helium flow rate of 4 L/min, 2-CEES (4.53 mg/cm²) can be completely decontaminated in 2.5 min, and no gaseous 2-CEES was detected. The detection of the 2-Hydroxyethyl ethyl sulfide proved the role of ·OH in the reaction system. During the reaction, 2-Chloroethyl ethyl sulfoxide and 2-Chloroethyl ethyl sulfone were also detected. The plasma jet could reduce the toxicity by destroying the parent molecule (2-CEES) in a short time, but it took more time to eliminate the intermediate products. No relevant intermediate products were detected in the gaseous, ensured the safety of personnel operating in open spaces.

A turn-on fluorescent probe based on N-(rhodamine-B)-thiolactam-2-n-butane with ionic liquids for selective and sensitive detection of mustard gas stimulant

Sulfur mustard (SM) is recognized as one of the most lethal warfare agents. It has the potential to seriously affect public health and safety. To employ appropriate medical countermeasures and treat victims as quickly as possible, the development of a rapid and simple SM detection technique is crucial. The aim of the present study was to explore novel detection systems exhibiting excellent selectivity and high sensitivity. An SM probe, namely N-(rhodamine-B)-thiolactam-2-n-butane (SRB-NB), which was based on a thiolactam structure, was effectively designed and synthesized. The rhodamine and thiourea moieties played the roles of the chromogenic and reacting groups, respectively. Subsequently, using ionic liquids (ILs) as the solvents, a turn-on fluorescence detection system was constructed. Notably, it was found that imidazole-based ILs displayed good solubility for an SM simulant, specifically 2-chloroethyl ethyl sulfide (2-CEES). Moreover, 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium dicyandiamide ([BMIm]DCA) IL held the maximum amount of 2-CEES (132.5 g/100 g). The SRB-NB probe exhibited better ultraviolet (UV) absorption and fluorescence properties in ILs than in other organic solvents. SRB-NB/IL was able to detect 2-CEES in liquid form with remarkable selectivity and sensitivity. The limit of detection (LOD) was established at 3.0 × 10-6 M. Importantly, SRB-NB/ILs also showed good optical response to gaseous 2-CEES and SM.