Development of Ion Mobility Separation and Mass Spectrometric Conditions in a Q-Tof Instrument for the Analysis of Chemical Warfare Agents

摘要

Five organophosphorous CW agents were characterized for the first time on the basis of their ion mobility and mass spectrometric data. Analysis was completed in as little as 1 minute by DESI-IMS-MS~(n) using the time-aligned parallel (TAP) fragmentation approach. Each CW agent exhibited a unique ion mobility profile and up to six MS~(n) spectra, containing four to eight characteristic ions, including the [M+H]~(+) ion. A rapid, screening approach was also developed and applied to the analysis of blank and spiked Dacron swab, cardboard and office furniture fabric samples, typical of those that might be collected to support a forensic investigation. Background chemical interference was minimal and the spiked chemical warfare agent was readily identified within a minute using this method.