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Title: GC/MS analysis of trimethylsilyl derivatives of treaty-related chemical warfare agent degradation products. Final report, May-August 1994

Technical Report ·
OSTI ID:104187

The entry into force of the Chemical Weapons Convention requires specific detection methods for identification of CW agent degradation products to verify treaty compliance or noncompliance. Many of these products are polar and not detected in the original state by gas chromatography based instrumentation. In this study, 22 compounds, including 4 alkylphosphonic acids (methyl, ethyl, n-propyl, and t-butyl) and 18 degradation products resulting from nitrogen and sulfur mustards, GA, GB, GD, GF, VX, and BZ were converted to their trimethylsilyl (TMS) esters using BSTFA/TMCS and analyzed on a Finnigan 5100 GC/MS. Retention times on a DB-1701 column and both electron ionization (El) and methane chemical ionization (Cl) mass spectra were obtained for each compound. Electron ionization and (CI) mass spectra are provided for incorporation into user libraries. By providing enhanced protonated molecular ion formation, chemical ionization is a valuable complementary technique for molecular weight confirmation of these compounds.

Research Organization:
Edgewood Research, Development and Engineering Center, Aberdeen Proving Ground, MD (United States)
OSTI ID:
104187
Report Number(s):
AD-A-290893/7/XAB; ERDEC-TR-223; TRN: 52420678
Resource Relation:
Other Information: PBD: Jan 1995
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English