Aerogel nanoscale magnesium oxides as a destructive sorbent for toxic chemical agents

An autoclave hypercritical drying procedure has been used to prepare precursors of MgO from Mg(OCH₃)₂. This material was prepared with a specific surface area of 1200 m² g ¹. The dehydrated materials consisted of much smaller crystallites than conventionally prepared MgO and were free of OCH₃ groups. The precursors and samples of magnesium oxide were taken for experimental evaluation of their reactivity with mustard. The largest percentage of the conversion mustard into non-toxic products after the elapse of the reaction was 77%.