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Investigation of the Persistence of Nerve Agent Degradation Analytes on Surfaces through Wipe Sampling and Detection with Ultrahigh Performance Liquid Chromatography-Tandem Mass Spectrometry
Citation:
Willison, S. Investigation of the Persistence of Nerve Agent Degradation Analytes on Surfaces through Wipe Sampling and Detection with Ultrahigh Performance Liquid Chromatography-Tandem Mass Spectrometry . Analytical Chemistry. American Chemical Society, Washington, DC, 87(2):1034-1041, (2015).
Impact/Purpose:
The persistence of chemical warfare nerve agent degradation analytes on surfaces is important for reasons ranging from indicating the presence of nerve agent on that surface to environmental restoration of a site after nerve agent release. This study investigates the persistence of several chemical warfare nerve agent degradation analytes on a number of indoor surfaces and presents an approach for wipe sampling of surfaces, followed by wipe extraction and liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry detection. Multiple commercially available wipe materials were investigated to determine optimal wipe recoveries. Tested surfaces, including several porous/permeable and largely nonporous/impermeable surfaces, were investigated to determine recoveries from these indoor surface materials. Wipe extracts were analyzed by ultra-high performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC-MS/MS) and compared with high performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (HPLC-MS/MS) results. UPLC provides a sensitive separation of targeted degradation analytes in addition to being nearly four times faster than HPLC, allowing for greater throughput during a widespread release concerning large-scale contamination and subsequent remediation events. Percent recoveries from nonporous/impermeable surfaces were 60-103% for isopropyl methylphosphonate (IMPA), 61-91 % for ethyl methylphosphonate (EMPA), and 60-98% for pinacolyl methylphosphonate (PMPA). Recovery efficiencies for methyl phosphonate (MPA) and ethylhydrogen dimethylphosphonate (EHDMAP) were lower, perhaps due to matrix effects. The resulting detection limits for wipe extracts were 0.065 ng/cm2 for IMPA, 0.079 ng/cm2 for MPA, 0.040 ng/cm2 for EMPA, 0.078 ng/cm2 for EHDMAP, and 0.013 ng/cm2 for PMPA. The data indicate that laboratories may hold wipe samples for up to 30 days prior to analysis. Target analytes were observed to persist on surfaces for at least six weeks.
Description:
Journal Article
