CAPILLARY COLUMN GAS-CHROMATOGRAPHY MASS-SPECTROMETRY AND GAS-CHROMATOGRAPHY TANDEM MASS-SPECTROMETRY DETECTION OF CHEMICAL WARFARE AGENTS IN A COMPLEX AIRBORNE MATRIX

The chemical warfare agents sarin, soman and mustard were detected and confirmed during full-scanning gas chromatography (GC)-mass spectrometry (MS) at the nanogram level in spiked extracts of a diesel exhaust environment sampled onto the charcoal of a Canadian C2 respirator canister. This matrix, typical of what might be expected under battlefield conditions, was used for the development of a GCMSMS method for the verification of trace levels of sarin, soman and mustard. Chemical interferences associated with this complex sample were virtually eliminated and low-picogram GCMSMS detection limits were estimated for these chemical warfare agents in the presence of numerous interfering diesel exhaust and charcoal bed components. © 1990.