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Comparison of extraction techniques for munitions residues in soil

Journal Article · · Anal. Chem.; (United States)
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1021/ac00136a015· OSTI ID:6559592

Extraction of trinitrotoluene (TNT), trinitrobenzene (TNB), hexahydrotrinitrotriazine (RDX), and octahydrotetranitrotetrazocine (HMX) from two soils was studied in terms of process kinetics and recovery. Two solvents, acetonitrile and methanol, and four extraction techniques, Soxhlet, ultrasonic bath, mechanical shaker, and homogenizer-sonicator, were compared. The results were complex in that several interactions were found among analyte, method, and solvent. Acetonitrile was superior to methanol for RDX and HMX from the perspectives of kinetics and recovery, due in part to a much higher solubility. The Soxhlet and ultrasonic bath generally recovered more than the homogenizer or shaker, although a complicating factor was that all techniques were not necessarily at equilibrium. In terms of sample throughout, the ultrasonic bath and shaker offer advantages over the Soxhlet and homogenizer-sonicator. The ultrasonic bath generally approached equilibrium more rapidly than the shaker, so it appears to be the best overall choice. A spike-recovery study using fortified soil and the sonic bath method yielded complete recoveries of TNT and RDX at 1.6 and 2.3 ..mu..g/g, respectively.

Research Organization:
Army Cold Regions Research and Engineering Lab., Hanover, NH
OSTI ID:
6559592
Journal Information:
Anal. Chem.; (United States), Journal Name: Anal. Chem.; (United States) Vol. 59:9; ISSN ANCHA
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English