Identification of V‐type nerve agents in vapor samples using a field‐portable capillary gas chromatography/membrane‐interfaced electron ionization quadrupole mass spectrometry instrument with Tri‐Bed concentrator and fluoridating conversion tube

A field‐portable gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC–MS) system (Hapsite ER) was evaluated for the detection of nonvolatile V‐type nerve agents (VX and Russian VX (RVX)) in the vapor phase. The Hapsite ER system consists of a Tri‐Bed concentrator gas sampler, a nonpolar low thermal‐mass capillary GC column and a hydrophobic membrane‐interfaced electron ionization quadrupole mass spectrometer evacuated by a non‐evaporative getter pump. The GC–MS system was attached to a VX‐G fluoridating conversion tube containing silver nitrate and potassium fluoride. Sample vapors of VX and RVX were converted into O‐ethyl methylphosphonofluoridate (EtGB) and O‐isobutyl methylphosphonofluoridate (iBuGB), respectively. These fluoridated derivatives were detected within 10 min. No compounds were detected when the VX and RVX samples were analyzed without the conversion tube. A vapor sample of tabun (GA) was analyzed, in which GA and O‐ethyl N,N‐dimethylphosphoramidofluoridate were detected. The molar recovery percentages of EtGB and iBuGB from VX and RVX vapors varied from 0.3 to 17%, which was attributed to variations in the vaporization efficiency of the glass vapor container. The conversion efficiencies of the VX‐G conversion tube for VX and RVX to their phosphonate derivatives were estimated to be 40%. VX and RVX vapors were detected at concentrations as low as 0.3 mg m−3. Gasoline vapor was found to interfere with the analyses of VX and RVX. In the presence of 160 mg m−3 gasoline, the detection limits of VX and RVX vapor were increased to 20 mg m−3.