Rapid screening of chemical warfare agents (nerve agents) using dimethyl methylphosphonate as simulant substances in beverages by hollow fiber membrane-protected solid phase microextraction followed by corona discharge ion mobility spectrometry

Abstract

The following work presents a new, rapid, potential to be portable, convenient, and low-cost method using hollow fiber membrane-protected solid phase microextraction followed by corona discharge ion mobility spectrometry which was used for determining dimethyl methylphosphonate in beverages. Response surface methodology based on the design of Box-Behnken was implemented for optimizing the different factors influencing the proposed method for obtaining the best results. Optimal extractions were calculated with 65 µm polydimethylsiloxane-divinylbenzene fiber, fiber equilibration time of 10 min, stirring rate of the sample solution at 750 rpm, and extraction temperature of 50 °C. The proposed technique provided linear range (0.5–50 µg mL−1), good linearity (>0.991), and repeatability (the relative standard deviations of 5.42% and 8.37% of intra- and inter-day analyses, respectively) under the optimized extraction conditions. Finally, the developed method was successfully used for determining dimethyl methylphosphonate in beverages such as coffee mix, fruit juice, tap water, milk, and tea.