Journal
MOLECULES
Volume 26, Issue 15, Pages -Publisher
MDPI
DOI: 10.3390/molecules26154631
Keywords
nerve agents; GC-MS; derivatization; silylation; methylation; chemical warfare agents; sarin; Novichoks
Funding
- U.S. Department of Energy by Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory [DEAC52-07NA27344]
- Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory [PLS-21-FS-036]
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The field of gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) in the analysis of chemical warfare agents, particularly focusing on organophosphorus-based nerve agents, is constantly evolving and essential for the rapid and accurate detection of these lethal agents. Derivatization reactions, primarily silylations and alkylations, have played a crucial role in efficiently detecting products arising from the degradation of these nerve agents for retrospective identification.
The field of gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) in the analysis of chemical warfare agents (CWAs), specifically those involving the organophosphorus-based nerve agents (OPNAs), is a continually evolving and dynamic area of research. The ever-present interest in this field within analytical chemistry is driven by the constant threat posed by these lethal CWAs, highlighted by their use during the Tokyo subway attack in 1995, their deliberate use on civilians in Syria in 2013, and their use in the poisoning of Sergei and Yulia Skripal in Great Britain in 2018 and Alexei Navalny in 2020. These events coupled with their potential for mass destruction only serve to stress the importance of developing methods for their rapid and unambiguous detection. Although the direct detection of OPNAs is possible by GC-MS, in most instances, the analytical chemist must rely on the detection of the products arising from their degradation. To this end, derivatization reactions mainly in the form of silylations and alkylations employing a vast array of reagents have played a pivotal role in the efficient detection of these products that can be used retrospectively to identify the original OPNA.
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