title: Technical note: Headspace analysis of explosive compounds using a novel sampling chamber.
abstract: The development of instruments and methods for explosive vapor detection is a continually evolving field of interest. A thorough understanding of the characteristic vapor signatures of explosive material is imperative for the development and testing of new and current detectors. In this research a headspace sampling chamber was designed to contain explosive materials for the controlled, reproducible sampling and characterization of vapors associated with these materials. In a detonation test, the chamber was shown to contain an explosion equivalent to three grams of trinitrotoluene (TNT) without damage to the chamber. The efficacy of the chamber in controlled headspace sampling was evaluated in laboratory tests with bulk explosive materials. Small quantities of TNT, triacetone triperoxide (TATP) and hexamethylene triperoxide diamine (HMTD) were separately placed in the sampling chamber, and the headspace of each material was analyzed by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS) with online cryogenic trapping to yield characteristic vapor signatures for each explosive compound. Chamber sampling conditions, temperature and sampling time, were varied to demonstrate suitability for precise headspace analysis.
authors.affiliation: Naval Research Laboratory, 4555 Overlook Ave. SW, Washington, DC, United States. Electronic address: lauryn.degreeff@nrl.navy.mil.
authors.forename: Lauryn
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: DeGreeff
authors.affiliation: Former Employee, Naval Research Laboratory, 4555 Overlook Ave. SW, Washington, DC, United States.
authors.forename: Duane A
authors.initials: DA
authors.lastname: Rogers
authors.affiliation: Nova Research, Inc., 1900 Elkin St., Alexandria, VA, United States.
authors.forename: Christopher
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Katilie
authors.affiliation: Naval Research Laboratory, 4555 Overlook Ave. SW, Washington, DC, United States.
authors.forename: Kevin
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Johnson
authors.affiliation: Naval Research Laboratory, 4555 Overlook Ave. SW, Washington, DC, United States.
authors.forename: Susan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Rose-Pehrsson
mesh_terms: D019086:Bridged Bicyclo Compounds, Heterocyclic / Q000737:chemistry; D053834:Explosive Agents / Q000737:chemistry*; D044707:Forensic Sciences / Q000295:instrumentation*; D008401:Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry; D006573:Heterocyclic Compounds, 1-Ring / Q000737:chemistry; D010545:Peroxides / Q000737:chemistry; D014303:Trinitrotoluene / Q000737:chemistry; D014835:Volatilization
chemical_list: D019086:Bridged Bicyclo Compounds, Heterocyclic; D053834:Explosive Agents; D006573:Heterocyclic Compounds, 1-Ring; D010545:Peroxides; D014303:Trinitrotoluene; C058103:hexamethylenetriperoxidediamine; C495284:triacetone triperoxide
keywords: Explosive analysis; Headspace; Sampling chamber