Wipe selection for the analysis of surface materials containing chemical warfare agent nitrogen mustard degradation products by ultra-high pressure liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry
Citation:
Willison, S. Wipe selection for the analysis of surface materials containing chemical warfare agent nitrogen mustard degradation products by ultra-high pressure liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry. JOURNAL OF CHROMATOGRAPHY A. Elsevier Science Ltd, New York, NY, 1270:72-79, (2012).
Impact/Purpose:
Degradation products arising from nitrogen mustard chemical warfare agent were deposited on common urban surfaces and determined via surface wiping, wipe extraction, and liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry detection. Wipes investigated included cotton gauze, glass fiber filter, non-woven polyester fiber and filter paper, and surfaces included several porous (vinyl tile, painted drywall, wood) and mostly nonporous (laminate, galvanized steel, glass) surfaces. Wipe extracts were analyzed by ultra performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC-MS/MS) and compared with high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) results. An evaluation of both techniques suggests UPLC-MS/MS provides a quick and sensitive analysis of targeted degradation products nearly four times faster than a single HPLC run, allowing for greater throughput during a wide-spread release concerning large-scale contamination and subsequent remediation events. Based on the overall performance of all tested wipes, filter paper wipes were selected over other wipes because they did not contain interferences or native species associated with the target analytes, resulting in high percent recoveries and low background levels during sample analysis. Other wipes, including cotton gauze, would require a pre-cleaning step due to the presence of large quantities native species or interferences of the targeted analytes. Percent recoveries obtained from a laminate surface were 47-99% for all nitrogen mustard degradation products. The resulting detection limits achieved from wipes were 0.2 ng/cm2 for triethanolamine (TEA), 0.03 ng/cm2 for N-ethyldiethanolamine (EDEA), 0.1 ng/cm2 for N-methyldiethanolamine (MDEA), and 0.1 ng/cm2 for diethanolamine (DEA).
Description:
Journal Article
