Chemistry gets a bad press for creating 'nasty' molecules, such as chemical warfare agents, or pesticides. However, chemistry not only creates these molecules but also holds the key for ensuring their safe disposal or degradation.

François Gabbaï and Mieock Kim at Texas A&M University, US, are making organometallic catalysts to investigate the breakdown of organophosphorous esters that are routinely used as pesticides. Their latest success has been a palladium metallacycle catalyst that causes the pesticide-type molecules to break down to non-toxic molecules much faster than they would if left alone. Gabbaï has also identified the intermediate products from the reactions, giving more insight into the way the breakdown occurs.

Gabbaï's catalysts could prove very useful. 'We expect that such catalysts could be immobilised on solid supports and used in water reservoirs in which they could remediate traces of pesticide. These investigations might also impact on our ability to design catalysts for the destruction of chemical warfare agents,' he says.

Katharine Sanderson