Organophosphorus compounds are a wide-spread group of agents which can be used among others as pesticides, especially insecticides, or chemical warfare agents. These extremely toxic compounds irreversibly inhibit the enzymes of hydrolases class, which have the catalytic capability of hydrolyzing their specific neurotransmitters in synaptic clefts of the nervous system. The organophosphorus pest...

Photocatalysis has been widely applied to solar-energy conversion and environmental purification. Photocatalyst, typically titanium dioxide (TiO(2)), produces active oxygen species under irradiation of ultraviolet light, and can decompose not only conventional pollutants but also different types of hazardous substances at mild conditions. We have recently started the study of photocatalytic dec...

Recently elevated concerns of environmental contamination with organophosphate (OP) insecticides and the possible use of OP nerve agents by terrorists have spurred interest in developing more accurate and sensitive methods for field detection and discrimination of these neurotoxic agents. The analysis of OP neurotoxins typically requires sophisticated equipment, extensive sample preparation tha...