title: Chemical analysis of bleach and hydroxide-based solutions after decontamination of the chemical warfare agent O-ethyl S-2-diisopropylaminoethyl methylphosphonothiolate (VX).
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.
authors.affiliation: Detection Department, Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (Dstl), Porton Down, Salisbury, Wiltshire, SP4 0JQ, UK.
authors.forename: F B
authors.initials: FB
authors.lastname: Hopkins
authors.forename: M R
authors.initials: MR
authors.lastname: Gravett
authors.forename: A J
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: Self
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Hoe-Chee
authors.initials: HC
authors.lastname: Chua
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Hoe-Chee
authors.forename: H S Nancy
authors.initials: HS
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: N Lee Hoi
authors.initials: NL
authors.lastname: Sim
authors.forename: J T A
authors.initials: JT
authors.lastname: Jones
authors.forename: C M
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: Timperley
authors.forename: J R
authors.initials: JR
authors.lastname: Riches
mesh_terms: D002619:Chemical Warfare Agents / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D003666:Decontamination / Q000379:methods; D005559:Formamides / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D008401:Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry; D006801:Humans; D006878:Hydroxides / Q000737:chemistry; D009682:Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy; D009946:Organothiophosphorus Compounds / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D011437:Propylamines / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D012973:Sodium Hypochlorite / Q000737:chemistry; D012996:Solutions
chemical_list: D002619:Chemical Warfare Agents; D005559:Formamides; D006878:Hydroxides; D009946:Organothiophosphorus Compounds; D011437:Propylamines; D012973:Sodium Hypochlorite; D012996:Solutions; C031356:hydroxide ion; C009680:VX-agent; C007442:diisopropylamine