title: Micro-solid-phase extraction coupled to desorption electrospray ionization-high-resolution mass spectrometry for the analysis of explosives in soil.
abstract: Home-made micro-solid-phase extraction (SPE) cartridges using different adsorbent materials were tested for the desorption electrospray ionization-high-resolution mass spectrometry (DESI-HRMS) determination of explosives like 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene, cyclotrimethylene-trinitramine, cyclotetramethylene-tetranitramine, pentaerythritol tetranitrate, and trinitrophenylmethylnitramine in soil samples. Quantitation limits in the low nanogram per kilogram range proved the reliability of the method for the detection of explosives at ultra-trace levels. The reduced sample preparation allowed for low costs and high-throughput analyses. Finally, the superior extraction capability of the method was proved by obtaining DESI-HRMS responses at least five times higher than those achieved by performing DESI-HRMS analyses of solid-liquid extracts spotted onto commercial polytetrafluoroethylene slides.
authors.affiliation: Dipartimento di Chimica, Università degli Studi di Parma, Parco Area delle Scienze 17/A, 43124, Parma, Italy, federica.bianchi@unipr.it.
authors.forename: Federica
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Bianchi
authors.forename: Adolfo
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Gregori
authors.forename: Gabriele
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Braun
authors.forename: Carlo
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Crescenzi
authors.forename: Maria
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Careri
mesh_terms: D001392:Azocines / Q000032:analysis; D004867:Equipment Design; D053834:Explosive Agents / Q000032:analysis*; D008401:Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry; D057230:Limit of Detection; D010417:Pentaerythritol Tetranitrate / Q000032:analysis; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012989:Soil Pollutants / Q000032:analysis*; D052616:Solid Phase Extraction / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods*; D021241:Spectrometry, Mass, Electrospray Ionization / Q000379:methods*; D014227:Triazines / Q000032:analysis; D014303:Trinitrotoluene / Q000032:analysis
chemical_list: D001392:Azocines; D053834:Explosive Agents; D012989:Soil Pollutants; D014227:Triazines; D010417:Pentaerythritol Tetranitrate; D014303:Trinitrotoluene; C007950:octogen; C009160:cyclonite