Analysis of Chemical Warfare Agents

Analysis of Chemical Warfare Degradation Products, First Edition. Karolin K. Kroening, 

Renee N. Easter, Douglas D. Richardson, Stuart A. Willison and Joseph A. Caruso. 

There are more approaches to the analysis of chemical warfare agents than just the chromatographic or mass spec-trometric based techniques. These include nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (NMR) or spectrophotometric detection. Additional approaches similar to GC, LC and MS are capillary electrophoresis (CE) and ion mobility spectroscopy (IMS). This chapter describes the instrumentation used to analyse and detect chemical warfare agents, from the simplest of techniques to the more complex, which allow for precise and accurate detection at very low levels. The authors have tried to be as comprehensive as possible in outlining the various methods utilized however, it is understood that because of the implications of GW As, there may be proprietary or classified methods, not yet in the public domain. 

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Kuitunen ML, Hartonen K, Riekkoa ML. 1991. Analysis of chemical warfare agents in soil samples by off-line supercritical fluid extraction and capillary gas chromatography. Journal of Microcolumn Separation 3(6) 505-512. 

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Mercier, J.-P., Morin, Ph., Dreux, M. and Tam-bute, A. Capillary electrophoresis analysis of chemical warfare agent breakdown products, J. Chromatogr., A, 741, 279 (1996). 

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R.M. Black and R. Muir, Derivatisation reactions in the chromatographic analysis of chemical warfare agents and their degradation products, J. Chromatogr., A, 1000, 253-281 (2003). 

P.A. D Agostino, J.R. Hancock and C.L. Chenier, Mass spectrometric analysis of chemical warfare agents and their degradation products on soil and synthetic samples, Eur. J. Mass Spectrom, 9, 609-618, (2003). 

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Quantitative analysis of chemical warfare agent degradation products in reaction masses using capillary electrophoresis, Anal. Chem., 70, 3598-3604 (1998). 

Laboratory Analysis of Chemical Warfare Agents and Metabolites in Biomedical Samples... 

Halamek, E., Kobliha, Z., Pitschmann, V. (2007). Analysis of Chemical Warfare Agents, 1st edition. University of Defence, Vyskov, Czech Republic. 

E. El. J. Braue and M. G. Pannella, Circle Cell FT-IR Analysis of Chemical Warfare Agents in Aqueous Solutions,, 4pp/. Spectrosc. 44, 1513 (1990). 

P. A. D Agostino, J. R. Hancock, C. L. Chenier and C. R. Jackson-Lepage, Liquid chromatography electrospray tandem mass spectrometric and desorption electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometric analysis of chemical warfare agents in office media typically collected during a forensic investigation, J. Chrom. A, 1110, 86-94 (2006). 

NMFA (1982-1983). Verification of a Chemical Weapons Convention Sampling and Analysis of Chemical Warfare Agents under Winter Conditions, Parts 1 and 2. Oslo, Norway Royal Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. 

Witkiewicz et al have comprehensively reviewed the application of chromatographic methods to the analysis of chemical warfare agents. A brief overview is presented below with the emphasis on applications in verification analysis and pharmacokinetic studies. 

Kolakowski, B.M. D Agostino, P.A. Chenier, C. Mester, Z., Analysis of chemical warfare agents in food products by atmospheric pressure ionization-high field asymmetric waveform ion mobihty spectrometry-mass spectrometry. Anal. Chem. 2007, 79, 8257-8265. 

NMFA (1982, 1983) Verification of a chemical weapons convention sampling and analysis of chemical warfare agents under winter conditions, parts 1 and 2. Royal Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Oslo. (Cited in Trapp 1985 Kingery and Allen 1994.)... 

D Agostino, P.A. (2005) Recent advances and applications of LC-MS for the analysis of chemical warfare agents and their degradation products—a review. Trends in Chromatography, 1, 23-42. 

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