New developments in SPME Part 2: Analysis of ammonium nitrate-based explosives

J Forensic Sci. 2004 Mar;49(2):215-21.

Abstract

Solid-phase microextraction (SPME) followed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) is a simple, reliable technique for the recovery and analysis of many organic explosives. However, this technique is impractical for the analysis of ammonium nitrate-type explosives due to the extreme polarity, low molecular weight, and high volatility of the amine moiety. This article describes an initial investigation of a derivatization process utilizing alkylchloroformates that converts ammonium nitrate and methylammonium nitrate into a form suitable for recovery by SPME and analysis by GC-MS.