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Chemical analysis of bleach and hydroxide-based solutions after decontamination of the chemical warfare agent O-ethyl S-2-diisopropylaminoethyl methylphosphonothiolate (VX)

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An Erratum to this article was published on 09 May 2014

Abstract

Detailed chemical analysis of solutions used to decontaminate chemical warfare agents can be used to support verification and forensic attribution. Decontamination solutions are amongst the most difficult matrices for chemical analysis because of their corrosive and potentially emulsion-based nature. Consequently, there are relatively few publications that report their detailed chemical analysis. This paper describes the application of modern analytical techniques to the analysis of decontamination solutions following decontamination of the chemical warfare agent O-ethyl S-2-diisopropylaminoethyl methylphosphonothiolate (VX). We confirm the formation of N,N-diisopropylformamide and N,N-diisopropylamine following decontamination of VX with hypochlorite-based solution, whereas they were not detected in extracts of hydroxide-based decontamination solutions by nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy or gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. We report the electron ionisation and chemical ionisation mass spectroscopic details, retention indices, and NMR spectra of N,N-diisopropylformamide and N,N-diisopropylamine, as well as analytical methods suitable for their analysis and identification in solvent extracts and decontamination residues.

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Abbreviations

CAS:

Chemical Abstracts Service

CI:

Chemical ionisation

CWAs:

Chemical warfare agents

CWC:

Chemical Weapons Convention

EI:

Electron ionisation

GC-MS:

Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry

HF-LPME:

Hollow-fibre liquid-phase micro-extraction

HRMS:

High-resolution mass spectrometry

LC-MS:

Liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry

LLE:

Liquid–liquid extraction

NMR:

Nuclear magnetic resonance

OPCW:

Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons

UHP:

Ultra-high purity

VX:

O-Ethyl S-2-diisopropylaminoethyl methylphosphonothiolate

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Detection Department, Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (Dstl), Porton Down, Salisbury, Wiltshire, SP4 0JQ, UK

    F. B. Hopkins, M. R. Gravett, A. J. Self, J. T. A. Jones, C. M. Timperley & J. R. Riches

  2. DSO National Laboratories, 20 Science Park Drive, Singapore, Singapore, 118230

    M. Wang, C. Hoe-Chee & N. Lee Hoi Sim

Authors
  1. F. B. Hopkins
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  2. M. R. Gravett
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  3. A. J. Self
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  4. M. Wang
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  5. C. Hoe-Chee
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  6. N. Lee Hoi Sim
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  7. J. T. A. Jones
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  8. C. M. Timperley
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  9. J. R. Riches
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to J. R. Riches.

Additional information

Published in the topical collection Analysis of Chemicals Relevant to the Chemical Weapons Convention with guest editors Marc-Michael Blum and R. V. S. Murty Mamidanna.

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Hopkins, F.B., Gravett, M.R., Self, A.J. et al. Chemical analysis of bleach and hydroxide-based solutions after decontamination of the chemical warfare agent O-ethyl S-2-diisopropylaminoethyl methylphosphonothiolate (VX). Anal Bioanal Chem 406, 5111–5119 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00216-014-7674-2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00216-014-7674-2

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