TY - JOUR
T1 - 1,4-Benzoquinone as a Highly Efficient Dopant for Enhanced Ionization and Detection of Nitramine Explosives on a Single-Quadrupole Mass Spectrometer Fitted with a Helium-Plasma Ionization (HePI) Source
AU - Pavlov, Julius
AU - Douce, David
AU - Bajic, Steve
AU - Attygalle, Athula B.
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2019, American Society for Mass Spectrometry.
PY - 2019/12/1
Y1 - 2019/12/1
N2 - Previous investigations have evaluated the efficacy of anions such as NO3 −, Cl− , Br−, CH3COO−, and CF3COO− as additives to generate or enhance mass spectrometric signals from explosives under plasma ionization conditions. The results of this study demonstrate that for detecting nitramine-class explosives, such as 1,3,5-trinitroperhydro-1,3,5-triazine (RDX) and 1,3,5,7-tetranitro-1,3,5,7-tetrazacyclooctane (HMX), 1,4-benzoquinone (BQ) is a highly effective and efficient dopant. When used in conjunction with ambient-pressure negative-ion helium-plasma ionization (HePI), 1,4-benzoquinone readily captures an electron, forming an abundant molecular anion (m/z 108), which upon exposure to vapors of RDX and HMX generates adduct ions of m/z 330 and 404, respectively. The signal level recorded for RDX upon adduction to the radical anion of 1,4-benzoquinone under our experimental conditions was significantly higher than that realized by chloride adduction using dichloromethane (DCM) as the dopant. [Figure not available: see fulltext.].
AB - Previous investigations have evaluated the efficacy of anions such as NO3 −, Cl− , Br−, CH3COO−, and CF3COO− as additives to generate or enhance mass spectrometric signals from explosives under plasma ionization conditions. The results of this study demonstrate that for detecting nitramine-class explosives, such as 1,3,5-trinitroperhydro-1,3,5-triazine (RDX) and 1,3,5,7-tetranitro-1,3,5,7-tetrazacyclooctane (HMX), 1,4-benzoquinone (BQ) is a highly effective and efficient dopant. When used in conjunction with ambient-pressure negative-ion helium-plasma ionization (HePI), 1,4-benzoquinone readily captures an electron, forming an abundant molecular anion (m/z 108), which upon exposure to vapors of RDX and HMX generates adduct ions of m/z 330 and 404, respectively. The signal level recorded for RDX upon adduction to the radical anion of 1,4-benzoquinone under our experimental conditions was significantly higher than that realized by chloride adduction using dichloromethane (DCM) as the dopant. [Figure not available: see fulltext.].
KW - 1,4-Benzoquinone
KW - Ambient mass spectrometry
KW - Electron-capture ionization
KW - Gas-phase adducts
KW - Ionization methods
KW - Nitramine explosives
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U2 - 10.1007/s13361-019-02339-8
DO - 10.1007/s13361-019-02339-8
M3 - Article
C2 - 31673948
AN - SCOPUS:85074699965
SN - 1044-0305
VL - 30
SP - 2704
EP - 2710
JO - Journal of the American Society for Mass Spectrometry
JF - Journal of the American Society for Mass Spectrometry
IS - 12
ER -