An acute need exists to develop and improve technology for decontamination of highly toxic materials, particularly the class of toxic agents known as nerve agents or nerve gases produced and stockpiled for both industrial use (e.g., pesticides such as parathion, paraoxon, and malathion) and as chemical warfare agents (e.g., Sarin, Soman, and VX). Agents such as Sarin, Soman, and VX can be absorbed through inhalation and/or through the skin and cause paralysis and death in a short time. Thus, it is very important to be able to effectively detoxify a broad spectrum of toxic agents, including organophosphorus-type compounds, from contaminated surfaces and sensitive equipment. This invention for decontamination of surfaces encompasses the use of activated aluminum oxide, which is distinguishable from other forms of aluminum oxide in that it is a highly porous granular form of aluminum oxide with a preferential capacity to adsorb moisture from gases, vapors, or liquids. Earlier patents have not described methods to chemically optimize the aluminum oxide; instead, the reported sorbents were based on pre-existing, commercially available materials, such as Selexsorb CD(TM), a product of the Alcoa Company. This invention provides the novel compositions suitable for use as reactive sorbents based on either a dehydroxylated porous aluminum oxide and/or an activated porous carbon, as well as methods for preparing and using these novel reactive sorbents to decontaminate a wide range of highly toxic materials. The patent can be viewed on the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office website at http://www.uspto.gov/patft/index.html