Detection of Explosives in Muddy Water February 23, 2020 4. Forensics, 5. Homeland Security, AccuTOF™ DART®, Application Note, Mass Spectrometry (MS) 0 The AccuTOF time-of-flight mass spectrometer equipped with Direct Analysis in Real Time (DART™) has been used to detect a wide variety of explosives in or on a variety of materials ranging from solutions to samples deposited on surfaces ranging from ABS plastic to metal, clothing and cardboard. Detection is rapid, specific, and sensitive. To demonstrate DART’s ability to detect explosives in a “messy” sample, we took a sample of muddy water from a frog pond in the woods near our laboratory. The water was spiked with 3 ppm of an explosives mixture, mixed and allowed to stand. A glass rod was dipped into the spiked water solution and then placed between the DART and the first orifice of the AccuTOF atmospheric pressure interface. An aqueous solution of 0.1% trifluoroacetic acid was placed under the glass rod to permit the formation of trifluoroacetate adducts for HMS and RDX. The results are shown in the figure below. The total time for analysis was 20 to 30 seconds. For full details: Attached files often contain the full content of the item you are viewing. Be sure and view any attachments. Detection of Explosives in Muddy Water.pdf 235.11 KB Related Articles Instantaneous Detection of Explosives on Clothing The detection of explosives is of vital importance in forensic applications and in preventing criminal or terrorist activity. The analytical detection of explosives on surfaces is normally done by using solvent extractions or wipes and chromatography or chromatography combined with mass spectrometry. This is inefficient because solvent extractions and wipes only result in a partial transfer of material from the surface into the sampling material. Furthermore, the chromatographic analysis can be time-consuming and requires the use of disposable solvents (an environmental concern). The JEOL AccuTOF™ with Direct Analysis in Real Time (DART™) has demonstrated the capability to detect both volatile and involatile explosives on surfaces such as plastic, cloth, concrete, glass, cardboard, metal, and more. No wipes or solvent extractions are required. The method is instantaneous, environmentally friendly, and does not require solvents. An example is shown in this application note. Detection of the Peroxide Explosives TATP and HMTD The explosive peroxide compounds triacetone triperoxide (TATP) and hexamethylenetriperoxide diamine (HMTD) are difficult to detect by conventional mass spectrometry methods. These compounds can be easily detected by the Direct Analysis in Real Time (DART™) ion source. Rapid detection of fentanyl, fentanyl analogues, and opioids for on-site or laboratory based drug seizure screening using thermal desorption DART-MS and ion mobility spectrometry Fentanyl and fentanyl analogues represent a current and emerging threat in the United States as pure illicit narcotics and in mixtures with heroin. Because of their extreme potency, methods to safely and rapidly detect these compounds are of high interest. This work investigates the use of thermal desorption direct analysis in real time mass spectrometry (TD-DART-MS) and ion mobility spectrometry (IMS) as tools for the rapid and sensitive (nanogram to picograms) detection of fentanyl, 16 fentanyl analogues, and five additional opioids. Competitive ionization studies highlight that detection of these compounds in the presence of heroin is readily achievable, down to 0.1% fentanyl by mass with TD-DART-MS. With IMS, detection of nanogram levels of fentanyl in a binary fentanyl and heroin mixture is possible but can be complicated by decreased resolution in certain commercial instrument models. Modifications to the alarm windows can be used to ensure detection of fentanyl in binary mixtures. Additionally, three complex background matrices (fingerprint residue, dirt, and plasticizers) are shown to have a minimal effect of the detection of these compounds. Wipe sampling of the exterior of bags of questioned powders is shown to be a safe alternative method for field screening and identification, removing the need to handle potentially lethal amounts of material. Determination of Haloacetic Acids in Water by LC/MS Haloacetic acids (HAAs) are disinfection byproducts (DBPs) of the chlorination of drinking water. Dichloroacetic acid and trichloroacetic acid are animal carcinogens. We present an ion-pair HPLC and negative electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (ESI-MS) method with a “function-switching” feature for analysis of all 9 haloacetic acids, monochloroacetic acid (MCAA), dichloroacetic acid (DCAA), monobromoacetic acid (MBAA), bromochloroacetic acid (BCAA), dibromoacetic acid (DBAA), bromodichloroacetic acid (BDCAA), trichloroacetic acid (TCAA), chlorodibromoacetic acid (CDBAA), and tribromoacetic acid (TBAA). JEOL MassCenter™ software can switch different MS settings by the time course. This “function-switching” feature enables each HAA to be analyzed under its optimized MS conditions so that the highest sensitivity can be achieved. Using triethylamine (TEA) as an ion-pairing reagent, a good HPLC separation of all 9 HAAs has been achieved. The optimized MS conditions for each HAA were evaluated. Instantaneous Detection of the “Date-Rape” Drug -- GHB Gamma hydroxybutyrate (GHB) is a fast-acting central nervous system depressant. Prior to its ban by the FDA in 1990, GHB was sold in bodybuilding formulas. It has been abused as a euphoriant. Because it is colorless and odorless, it can be added to alcoholic drinks of unsuspecting victims. An overdose can result in serious consequences, including respiratory depression and coma. GHB was classified as a Schedule I Controlled Substance in March, 2000. Detection of GHB is problematic. GC/MS and LC/ MS methods are time consuming. A rapid colorimetric assay for GHB has been developed, but this assay suffers from some limitations. For example, ethanol produces the same colorimetric response as GHB. The AccuTOF™ mass spectrometer equipped with Direct Analysis in Real Time (DART™) can rapidly detect GHB anion (C4H7O3 -, m/z 103.0395) on surfaces, in urine, and in ethanol. No solvent extraction, wipes, or chromatography are required. Examples are shown in the figures below. Chromatographic Enhancement Software - Component Detection for GC/MS and LC/MS A high chemical background or the continuous introduction of a reference compound can make it difficult to locate and identify trace components in a total ion current chromatogram in a GC/MS or LC/MS experiment. The Shrader System for Windows™ software1 available with the JEOL GCmate, LCmate, and RSVP mass spectrometers provides a solution to this problem based on the Component Detection Algorithm (CODA), developed by Windig et. al.2 The CODA algorithm identifies significant peaks by comparing a smoothed, mean-subtracted reconstructed ion chromatogram (RIC) with the original RIC. Showing 0 Comment Comments are closed.