Separation of arsines and trinitrotoluene by reversed phase high performance liquid chromatography and micellar electrokinetic capillary chromatography

Abstract

Reversed phase high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and micellar electrokinetic capillary chromatography (MEKC) successfully separated mixtures of arsine compounds and explosives. HPLC separation was accomplished with a methanol/water gradient and detection with an UV-DAD detector. MEKC separation was accomplished with a borate (5 mM) and sodium dodecyl sulfate (50 mM) buffer at pH 9.2. Both methods permitted qualitative and quantitative determination but the HPLC technique was found to yield better reproducibility and thus lower detection limits. HPLC limits of detection (using the 3σ-method) for phenyldichloroarsine, diphenylchloroarsine and triphenylarsine were to be found at 1.87, 1.94 and 0.12 ng, respectively. The detection limit for TNT was found at 0.39 ng. These low detection limits show the possibility of the selected methods to quantify high concentrations found in samples of gas shells, as well as very low concentrations to be detected after destruction experiments of the arsenicals. Determination of a typical World War I 105 mm Blaukreuz-munition-type yield following results: TNT (51.6±0.4%) and Clark I (41.0±0.5%).