title: On-line monitoring system for chemical warfare agents using automated capillary micellar electrokinetic chromatography.
abstract: We present an automated analysis system for the detection of the chemical warfare blister agents, sulfur mustard (HD) and lewisite (L), in aqueous samples without any chemical derivatization. The system is compact in size and designed to operate in the field in a safe, autonomous manner for near real-time monitoring applications. It uses anionic surfactant-based capillary micellar electrokinetic chromatography (MEKC) to separate the sample followed by UV detection. The analysis time is sufficiently fast to allow direct detection of HD which enabled the estimation of effective hydrolysis rates in the aqueous sample matrix. The estimated hydrolysis half-life of HD in our system was 4.85 ± 0.05 min. The detection limit of HD was determined to be 10 ppm with a signal to noise ratio of 5. By contrast, L hydrolyzed too rapidly in aqueous samples to enable direct detection. Instead the first hydrolysis product 2-chlorovinyl arsonous acid (CVAA), also considered a blister agent, was detected with a detection limit of 0.7 ppm with a signal to noise ratio of 5.
authors: Sandia National Laboratories, Livermore, CA, USA. vavande@sandia.gov
authors: Victoria
authors: V
authors: Vandernoot
authors: Scott
authors: S
authors: Ferko
authors: James
authors: J
authors: Van De Vreugde
authors: Kamlesh
authors: K
authors: Patel
authors: Joanne
authors: J
authors: Volponi
authors: Kevin
authors: K
authors: Morrissey
authors: Lucille
authors: L
authors: Forrest
authors: James
authors: J
authors: Horton
authors: Brent
authors: B
authors: Haroldsen
mesh_terms: D001331:Automation; D002619:Chemical Warfare Agents / Q000032:analysis*; D020374:Chromatography, Micellar Electrokinetic Capillary / Q000379:methods*; D006868:Hydrolysis; D013056:Spectrophotometry, Ultraviolet
chemical_list: D002619:Chemical Warfare Agents