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Toward the chemical agent monitor: technologies and developments in England and the United States from 1965 to 1982

  • Original Research
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International Journal for Ion Mobility Spectrometry

Abstract

The weaponization of organophosphorus compounds (OPCs) as nerve agents changed the needs in methods and technology for chemical warfare agent detection. Soldiers needed high-speed, on-site instruments to detect (OPCs) at the levels of parts per billion. First generation instrumentation used wet chemistry and suffered detrimental supply-line issues. Researchers sought dry chemistry solutions. The Chemical Agent Monitor (CAM) arose from discoveries in gas phase ion chemistry fundamentals and technology advances in mass spectrometry and ion mobility spectrometry. Ionization detectors were being widely developed for military purposes and resulted in kit for detecting human beings, exhaust fumes, explosives and nerve agents. The first ever portable analyser based on ion mobility spectrometry, CAM was capable of responding to both nerve and blister agent with little more than pushing a button to change polarity. It was legacy technology of ionization filtration and electron capture detection from the United States and Great Britain and was a joint US-UK development. The success of CAM promoted IMS research in academic fields, arguably contributing to the success of IMS as a viable field of research in North America and Britain. This article sets the foundations and history of the developments of early ionization detectors such as the Surface Potential Detector, Honeywell Ionization Detector, Detection by Ion Combination Effect (DICE), leading to the definitions of requirements for CAM, the scientists involved/instrumental in these developments, and the final field trials in 1978 which motivated the move into ion mobility spectrometry.

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Notes

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  3. Ibid., 35

  4. Dunn, Peter “The Chemical War: Iran Revisited—1986.” (1986) NBC Defence and Technology International 1 no. 3

  5. Exercise Liquid Chase, Ministry of Defence, UK, 1983, film.

  6. Tucker, Johnathan B. (2007) War of Nerves: Chemical Warfare from World War I to Al-Qaeda, 191–196

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  9. Tucker, 85–92, 180–183

  10. ___ Soviet Chemical and Biological Warfare Capabilities. (1969) Central Intelligence Agency, Washington, DC, 1–9

    ____The Soviet Offensive Chemical Warfare Threat to NATO. (1984) Central Intelligence Agency, Washington, DC

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  13. Blyth, Interview, 2

  14. Shahin, M.M. “Mass-Spectrometric Studies of Corona Discharges in Air at Atmospheric Pressures.”(1966) The Journal of Chemical Physics 45, no. 7, 2600–2605

    Shahin, M.M. “Use of Corona Discharge for the Study of Ion-Molecule Reactions.” (1967) The Journal of Chemical Physics 47, no. 11, 4392–4398

  15. Kirby, Reid. “Operation Snoopy,”(2007) Army Chemical Review, 20–22

    _____“The Soviet Offensive Chemical Warfare Threat to NATO,” (1894) Special National Intelligence Estimate, Central Intelligence Agency

  16. “People Sniffer Should Be Better Than Bedbugs” (1967) The Palm Beach Post-Times

  17. Harden, Interivew, 5

  18. Ibid., 5

  19. People Sniffer Should Be Better Than Bedbugs" (1967) The Palm Beach Post Times; "People Sniffer Used In Scenting Out The Viet Cong" (1967) Ocala Star-Banner; Reid, Kirby, "Operation Snoopy," (2007) Army Chemical Review, 20-22

  20. Harden, Charles S., et al. A Mechanism for the Formation of Electrically Charged Ammonia-water Clusters in the Condensation Nuclei Personnel Detector. (1971) Maryland: Edgewood Arsenal Aberdeen Proving Ground Research Laboratories, 20

  21. Blyth, David, Interivew, 14

  22. Blyth, David, Interview, 2

  23. Griffiths, J.H. and C. S. G. Phillips, “The Chromatography of Gases and Vapours. Part IV. Applications of the Surface-Potential Detector,” Journal of the Chemical Society, (1954), 3446–3453.

  24. Underwood, Neil, Interview

  25. Schluter, Bernard C. and Erik T. Tromborg. Honeywell, Inc. Gas Monitoring System. US Patent 3,851,520, filed May 22, 1973 and issued December 3, 1974

    Harris, William A., Bernard C. Schluter and Erik T. Tromborg. Ionization System for Sensing and Measuring Gaseous Impurities. US 3,853,328, filed May 12, 1972 and issued September 10, 1974

    Harden, Charles S. et al. A Mechanism for the Formation of Electrically Charged Ammonia-water Clusters in the Condensation Nuclei Personnel Detector. (1971) Maryland: Edgewood Arsenal Aberdeen Proving Ground Research Laboratories

  26. Harden, A Mechanism for the Formation of Electrically Charged Ammonia-water Clusters in the Condensation Nuclei Personnel Detector, 22

  27. Harden, Charles S. et al. Detection and Identification of Trace Quantities of Organic Vapors in the Atmosphere by Ion Cluster Mass Spectrometry and the Ionization Detector System. (1973) Maryland: Edgewood Arsenal Aberdeen Proving Ground

  28. Ibid., 425

  29. Harden, Interview, 5

  30. ___ “Technical Manual Army Equipment and Data Sheets Chemical Defense Equipment.” (1982) Technical report, Headquarters, Department of the Army, Washington DC

  31. Harden, Charles S. and Thomas C. Imeson. “Ionic Cluster Mass Spectrometry: Detection and Identification of Airborne Organic Vapors and Establishment of Operational Mechanisms in the Ionization Detector System.”(1972) Technical report, Commander/Director, Chemical Systems Laboratory Aberdeen Proving Ground, 425

  32. Blyth, Interview, 6

  33. Blyth, David A., Detection of Polar Vapors. US 4,368,388, filed November 1979 and issued January 11, 1983

  34. Ibid

  35. Blyth, Interview, 4

  36. Reed, John A. Technology in Support of Security Development of Explosives Detection Equipment in the United Kingdom. (1978) New Concepts Symposium, 191

  37. ___ “Looking for electron-hungry explosives in Ulster.” (9 May 1947) New Scientist

    ____ “New gelly sniffer unveiled in Ulster.” (4 April 1974) New Scientist

  38. ___ “Detection to cut out the big bang” (13 April 1978) New Scientist

  39. ___ “Detection to cut out the big bang” (13 April 1978) New Scientist

  40. Underwood, Interview, 12

  41. Harden, Interview, 14

  42. Harden, Interview, 15

  43. Harden, Interview, 4

  44. Brokenshire, Interview, 5–10

  45. Production of CAM was headed by John Petinarides, an engineer with Graseby Dynamics

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  1. School of History, Politics, and International Relations, University of Leicester, Leicester, England

    Abigail E. Eiceman

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Correspondence to Abigail E. Eiceman.

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Eiceman, A.E. Toward the chemical agent monitor: technologies and developments in England and the United States from 1965 to 1982. Int. J. Ion Mobil. Spec. 23, 39–49 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12127-019-00256-w

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