Methanol Chemical Ionization Ion Trap Mass Spectrometry of VX degradation Products

摘要

Mass spectrometric analysis of VX degradation products by electron ionization (EI) produces extensive fragmentation with little or no molecular ion information, making product identification difficult. Milder chemical ionization (CI) is commonly used to provide molecular weight and structure confirmation. In this study, methanol was used as a liquid CI reagent in combination with an ion trap detector for detection and identification of over 30 compounds present in a thermally-degraded sample of VX. The use of the liquid reagent methanol provides superior results for this class of compounds with less fragmentation than commonly observed with gas reagents and offers logistical advantages for on-site analysis by being easier to transport and safer to use than gas cylinders: Ion trap EI and methanol CI mass spectra are provided as a reference for future identification of these compounds.