Detection Performance of Portable Colona Discharge Ionization Type Ion Mobility Spectrometer for Chemical Warfare Agents

Abstract

The detection performance of a portable corona discharge ionization-type ion mobility spectrometer (LCD 3.2E, Smiths Detection) was investigated using nerve gases, blister agents, blood agents and related compounds. The vapors of sarin, soman and tabun were recognized as "G" after about several seconds of sampling; the detection limits were around 0.2 mg/m3. The vapors of mustard gas, lewisite 1, hydrogen cyanide and chloropicrin were recognized as "H" after several seconds of sampling, and the detection limits were around 10 mg/m3. The vapors of cyanogen chloride were also recognized as "H", but the detection limit was around 500 mg/m3. The vapors of trimethylphosphate, triethylphosphate, n-propanol, diethylamine, triethylamine, formaldehyde, and N,N-dimethylformamide were recognized as "G", and the vapors of 1,4-thioxane, 2-mercaptoethanol, diethylether and acetic acid were recognized as "H".