DETERMINATION OF EXPLOSIVES AND THEIR BIODEGRADATION PRODUCTS IN CONTAMINATED SOIL AND WATER FROM FORMER AMMUNITION PLANTS BY AUTOMATED MULTIPLE DEVELOPMENT HIGH-PERFORMANCE THIN-LAYER CHROMATOGRAPHY

The new method of automated multiple development high-performance thin-layer chromatography (HPTLC-AMD) has been applied for the first time for the analysis of explosives and related compounds found in soil and water samples near former ammunition production sites. A gradient for the mobile phases has been found which allows the separation of the explosives hexyl, picric acid, RDX, HMX, tetryl, 2,4- and 2,6-dinitrotoluenes, and 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene as well as other byproducts such as 1,3-dinitrobenzene, 2-amino-4,6-dinitrotoluene, and 4-amina-2,6-dinitrotaluene found in former ammunition waste. The method has been applied to the analysis of two groundwater samples taken near a former plant for the production of explosives and one soil sample from a former ammunition plant. The method allows one to identify and quantify the major contaminants found in groundwater and soil samples from such contaminated sites. As up to 20 samples can be chromatographed simultaneously, the technique is well-suited for a rapid screening of contaminated sites for explosives.