Screening organophosphorus nerve agent degradation products in pesticide mixtures by GC-ICPMS

Gas chromatography inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (GC-ICPMS) was utilized for the analysis of four organophosphorus nerve agent degradation products in the presence of mixtures of common organophosphorus pesticides. The first degradation products of sarin (isopropyl methylphosphonic acid, GB acid), cyclosarin (cyclohexyl methylphosphonic acid, GF acid), and soman (pinacolyl methylphosphonic acid) as well as their common final hydrolysis product methyl phosphonic acid were utilized throughout these experiments. Due to the non-volatile nature of these alkyl phosphonic acid degradation products, derivatization was performed to generate the volatile tert-butyl dimethylsilyl species. Degraded organophosphorus pesticide standards were obtained for acephate, chlorpyrifos, dichlorvos, ethion, and parathion ethyl. Mixtures consisting of three pesticides in the presence of a single nerve agent degradation product were prepared. GC-ICPMS allowed for the separation and detection of all four degradation products in the presence of pesticide mixtures in just over 12 minutes. This is the first study analyzing pesticides as interfering species for analysis of nerve agent degradation products by GC-ICPMS.     

Fluorescent sensors for organophosphorus nerve agent mimics

We present a small molecule sensor that provides an optical response to the presence of an organophosphorus (OP)-containing nerve agent mimic. The design contains three key features: a primary alcohol, a tertiary amine in close proximity to the alcohol, and a fluorescent group used as the optical readout. In the sensor's rest state, the lone pair of electrons of the basic amine quenches the fluorescence of the nearby fluorophore through photoinduced electron transfer (PET). Exposure to an OP nerve agent mimic triggers phosphorylation of the primary alcohol followed rapidly by an intramolecular substitution reaction as the amine displaces the created phosphate. The quaternized ammonium salt produced by this cyclization reaction no longer possesses a lone pair of electrons, and a fluorescence readout is observed as the nonradiative PET quenching pathway of the fluorophore is shut down.     

Derivatization of organophosphorus nerve agent degradation products for gas chromatography with ICPMS and TOF-MS detection

Separation and detection of seven V-type (venomous) and G-type (German) organophosphorus nerve agent degradation products by gas chromatography with inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (GC–ICPMS) is described. The nonvolatile alkyl phosphonic acid degradation products of interest included ethyl methylphosphonic acid (EMPA, VX acid), isopropyl methylphosphonic acid (IMPA, GB acid), ethyl hydrogen dimethylamidophosphate sodium salt (EDPA, GA acid), isobutyl hydrogen methylphosphonate (IBMPA, RVX acid), as well as pinacolyl methylphosphonic acid (PMPA), methylphosphonic acid (MPA), and cyclohexyl methylphosphonic acid (CMPA, GF acid). N-(tert-Butyldimethylsilyl)-N-methyltrifluroacetamide with 1% TBDMSCl was utilized to form the volatile TBDMS derivatives of the nerve agent degradation products for separation by GC. Exact mass confirmation of the formation of six of the TBDMS derivatives was obtained by GC–time of flight mass spectrometry (TOF-MS). The method developed here allowed for the separation and detection of all seven TBDMS derivatives as well as phosphate in less than ten minutes. Detection limits for the developed method were less than 5 pg with retention times and peak area precisions of less than 0.01 and 6%, respectively. This method was successfully applied to river water and soil matrices. To date this is the first work describing the analysis of chemical warfare agent (CWA) degradation products by GC–ICPMS. Figure Illustrated here are six parent organophosphorus nerve agents corresponding to the degradation products analyzed by gas chromatography with ICPMS and ToF-MS detection. The authors would like to thank Daisy-Malloy Hamburg and Kevin M. Kubachka for creating this figure     

Selective extraction of organophosphorus nerve agent degradation products by molecularly imprinted solid-phase extraction

The analysis of alkyl alkylphosphonic acids, the degradation products of V and G nerve agents as VX, Sarin or Soman, is an important task for the verification of compliance to the Chemical Weapons Convention. The detection of these contaminants at low concentration levels is often difficult in complex matrices due to the amount of interfering substances. Molecularly imprinted solid-phase extraction technique should allow a selective extraction of these compounds from complex samples, and thus make their detection easier. Two molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs) prepared with methacrylic acid (MAA) as monomer and pinacolyl methylphosphonic acid (PMPA) as template molecule were synthesised and tested. The first polymer, MIP A, was prepared with ethylene glycol dimethacrylate (EGDMA) in dichloromethane. The second polymer, MIP B, was synthesised using trimethylolpropane trimethacrylate (TRIM) in acetonitrile. To evaluate the selectivity provided by these MIPs, the retention of the ethyl methylphosphonic acid (EMPA) target molecule was studied in parallel on a non-imprinted polymer (NIP). While MIP A does not show any difference compared to NIP A, a good selectivity was obtained for MIP B. After the optimisation of the extraction process, 60% of EMPA can be removed from the NIP B without affecting the retention on the MIP B. A recovery of extraction of 93% was then obtained on the MIP B. Its capacity was then measured and corresponds to 97 microg of EMPA per gram of MIP. Finally, the selectivity of MIP B was clearly demonstrated by applying it to the clean-up of a soil extract spiked with EMPA.     

农产品中有机磷农药前处理技术研究进展EI北大核心CSCD

有机磷农药作为蔬菜等农产品中杀虫剂和杀螨剂,广泛应用于农业生产,有效地降低了病虫害带来的危害,提高了农产品质量和产量。然而有机磷农药不规范使用会抑制人体内胆碱酯酶活性,对生态环境和人体健康造成危害。因此,建立农产品中有机磷农药的检测方法是保障农产品质量与安全的重要技术手段。由于果蔬等农产品的种类较多,基质繁杂对有机磷农药检测方法造成基质干扰,选择合适的农药前处理技术是降低果蔬农产品基质干扰有效手段。本文综述近些年农产品有机磷农药残留前处理的技术,分别从非特异性前处理和特异性前处理技术角度,阐述有机磷农药的前处理技术研究进展,为果蔬等农产品中有机磷农药前处理技术提供参考。     

Competitive immunochromatographic assay for the detection of the organophosphorus pesticide chlorpyrifos

An immunochromatographic assay (ICA) based on competitive antigen-coated format using colloidal gold as the label was developed for the detection of the organophosphorus insecticide chlorpyrifos. The ICA test strip consisted of a membrane with a detection zone, a sample pad and an absorbent pad. The membrane was separately coated with chlorpyrifos Hapten-OVA conjugate (test line) and anti-mouse IgG (control line). Based on the fact that the competition is between the migrating analyte in the sample and the analyte hapten immobilized on the test strip for the binding sites of the antibody-colloidal gold (Ab-CG) conjugate migrating on the test strip, this study suggests that the relative migration speed between the two migrating substances is a critically important factor for the sensitive detection by competitive ICA. This criterion was utilized for the confirmation of appropriateness of a nitrocellulose (NC) membrane for chlorpyrifos ICA. The detection limit of the ICA for chlorpyrifos standard and chlorpyrifos spiked into agricultural samples were 10 and 50 ng mL(-1), respectively. The assay time for the ICA test was less than 10 min, suitable for rapid on-site testing of chlorpyrifos.     

Direct monitoring of toxic compounds in air using a portable mass spectrometer

A portable tandem mass spectrometer, capable of performing atmospheric pressure chemical ionization (APCI) using a direct atmospheric inlet, is applied to the real-time monitoring of toxic compounds in air. Analytes of interest include dimethyl methylphosphonate, arsine, benzene, toluene, pyridine and vinyl acetate. The detection, identification and quantification of organic and inorganic compounds in air is demonstrated using short analysis times (<5 seconds) with detection limits in the low ppb (v/v) levels and linear dynamic ranges of several orders of magnitude. Highly specific detection and identification is achieved, even when the analyte is a trace component in a complex mixture including such interferents as fuels, lubricants, and cleaners. The effects of environmental conditions, including temperature and humidity, are delineated. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves are presented to show the trade-off between false positive and false negative detection rates. Tandem mass spectrometry based both on collision-induced dissociation and on selective atmospheric pressure ion/molecule reactions is also used to increase selectivity and sensitivity.     

Hydrolysis of organophosphorus nerve agent soman by the monoclonal antibodies elicited against an oxyphosphorane hapten.

The antibody-mediated hydrolysis of the nerve agent O-1,2,2-trimethylpropyl methylphosphonofluoridate (soman) 1 has now been established with two monoclonal antibodies raised against the cyclic pentacovalent methyloxyphosphorane hapten 10 that mimics the pentacoordinated trigonal bipyramidal transition-state of the reaction. The hydrolysis reaction was studied using molecular orbital methods at the MP2/6-31 + G*/(/)HF/6-31 + G* level of accuracy. According to the ab initio calculations, the reaction seems to proceed via three separate transition-states. The calculations are in good agreement with the experimental results. The 1,3-dioxabenzophosphole hapten 10 was synthesized, coupled to the carrier protein and the antibodies were obtained by the hybridoma technique. Two antibodies, DB-108P and DB-108Q were found to enhance the rate of soman hydrolysis and they were kinetically characterised.     

Fragment methods for IR spectrum calculations of organophosphorus compounds

For highly toxic organophosphorus compounds on the limiting lists of the International Chemical Weapons Ban Treaty, fragment methods may be used for calculating their IR vibrational spectra; this is shown for O-alkyl alkylfluorophosphonates used as examples. The geometrical parameters and the parameters of the potential and electrooptic functions are found for the major fragments of these compounds. Due to this, fast predictive computation of IR spectra of O-alkyl alkylfluorophosphonates is possible, the accuracy of calculation being sufficient for spectral identification of these compounds; a database of the calculated IR spectra may be created.     

Quantitation of five organophosphorus nerve agent metabolites in serum using hydrophilic interaction liquid chromatography and tandem mass spectrometry

Although nerve agent use is prohibited, concerns remain for human exposure to nerve agents during decommissioning, research, and warfare. Exposure can be detected through the analysis of hydrolysis products in urine as well as blood. An analytical method to detect exposure to five nerve agents, including VX, VR (Russian VX), GB (sarin), GD (soman), and GF (cyclosarin), through the analysis of the hydrolysis products, which are the primary metabolites, in serum has been developed and characterized. This method uses solid-phase extraction coupled with high-performance liquid chromatography for separation and isotopic dilution tandem mass spectrometry for detection. An uncommon buffer of ammonium fluoride was used to enhance ionization and improve sensitivity when coupled with hydrophilic interaction liquid chromatography resulting in detection limits from 0.3 to 0.5 ng/mL. The assessment of two quality control samples demonstrated high accuracy (101–105 %) and high precision (5–8 %) for the detection of these five nerve agent hydrolysis products in serum.     

Analytical procedures for environmental and biological monitoring

Summary Health protection of persons exposed to chemical substances is achieved by limitation and supervision of the concentrations a) of substances in the air (Environmental Monitoring, EM) and b) of substances and metabolites in body fluids (Biological Monitoring, BM). Both strategies belong to the sphere of responsibility of the analytical chemist. EM and BM show requirements which are different in some characteristic facts among them: EM. The assessment of exposure is difficult because the concentrations strongly depend on the location and time of measurement. The analytical determination of ppm and ppb concentrations in the air in general do not make problems nowadays. Unsolved, however, is the problem of the quality control and the determination of certain species of substances. BM. It offers a better means of the assessment of individual exposure. The complexity of the biological matrix, its low availability, and the small concentration of substances are still a great problem for analytical chemistry. Nowadays g/l-concentrations of metals, organic solvents etc. can routinely be determined in biological matrices. Efficiency of analytical chemistry, however, must further be improved. Certain substances, for instance PAH's, certain metals like Pt, Ni, Co cannot be determined in the required range of concentrations. Huge efforts have to be done to determine the substances at the location of their effects for instance bound to DNA, Hb or certain proteins.The possibilities and limitations of instrumental analysis in the field of environmental and occupational health are discussed using characteristic examples. The problems of analytical reliability and the comparability of results are also discussed.Dedicated to Prof. Dr. G. Tölg, Dortmund, on the occasion of his 60th birthday     

Development of a surface acoustic wave gas sensor for organophosphorus nerve agents employing lanthanide compounds as the chemical interface

The results of a study dealing with surface acoustic wave gas sensors for organophosphorus compounds such as nerve agents are described. Several lanthanum coordination compounds were applied as the chemical interface. The various sensors prepared were challenged with both the nerve agent sarin and the simulant dimethyl methylphosphonate. Many aspects were studied, such as sensitivity, selectivity, reversibility and response rate as well as the effect of temperature and structural features. Detection limits down to 0.1 ppm were found. Response rates require further improvement. Degradation phenomena were observed which in some cases yielded irreversible responses. The selectivity for organophosphorus compounds was found to be promising.     

具生物活性有机磷化合物的设计与合成

对氨基膦酸及磷肽的合成作了研究,同时考察了引入二氟次甲基及三氟甲基的方法。在此基础上研究成功基于[1,2]不对称诱导及[1,3]质子转移反应的手性合成方法。对多官能团的氨基膦酸及磷肽也作了研究。此外还制备了具1,1-双膦酸基的多种碳环化合物,对含磷酰基,特别对既含磷酰基又含三氟甲基的多种杂环化合物的合成方法与反应机理进行了报导。     

Dispersive solid-phase extraction for in-sorbent Fourier-transform infrared detection and identification of nerve agent simulants in analysis for verification of chemical weapon convention

The combination of dispersive solid-phase extraction (DSPE) and Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy is presented for detection and quantification of markers and simulants of nerve agents. Hydrophilic–lipophilic balance (HLB) sorbent was used for extraction and enrichment of organophosphonates from water. When the extraction efficiency of DSPE was compared with that of conventional solid-phase extraction (SPE), DSPE was more efficient. Extraction conditions such as extraction time, and type and quantity of sorbent material were optimized. In DSPE, extracted analytes are detected and quantified on the sorbent using FTIR as analytical technique. Absorbance in FTIR due to P–O–C stretching was used for detection and quantification. Infrared absorbance of different analytes were compared by determining their molar absorptivities (ε _max). Quantitative analyses were performed employing modified Beer’s law, and relative standard deviations (RSDs) for intraday repeatability and interday reproducibility were found to be in the range 0.30–0.90% and 0.10–0.80% respectively. The limit of detection (LOD) was 5–10 μg mL⁻¹. The applicability of the method was tested with an unknown sample prepared by mimicking the sample obtained in an international official proficiency test.