004-Mass Spec-V17

The Diverse Applications of Mass Spectrometry
Mass
Spectrometry’s
Important Role
in Identifying
Explosives in the
Environment
Professor Stanislaw Popiel, Associate
Professor of Chemistry at the Military
University of Technology, Warsaw, Poland.
Karen Steward, PhD
Explosives, especially when not contained or disposed of
correctly, pose a significant hazard to humans, wildlife
and the ecosystem. Having the tools to be able to identify
their presence and state are therefore key to combatting the issue.
We spoke to Stanislaw Popiel about the game-changing role
that mass spectrometry is playing in the process and some of the
challenges that still lie ahead.
Q: Could you tell us a bit about the role and
importance of mass spectrometry in explosive
screening?
A: Explosives screening is very important in a number of
situations including terrorism attacks, environmental monitoring
(training grounds, factories, ground waters etc.) and dumped
munitions. Mass spectrometry gives us a powerful tool for
identification and quantification of explosives, vital in forensic
analysis.
Technology Networks 2018
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As well as the explosives themselves, their degradation products
can also be detected, which may indicate their use. Tandem
mass spectrometry allows us to reduce background signal
from the sample matrix and reduce the limit of detection and
quantification.
Q: How do the analyses made possible through
the application of mass spectrometry compare to
previously available methods of detection?
A: Mass spectrometry in combination with gas chromatography
and especially liquid chromatography can be used in a very
wide research spectrum related to explosives. In comparison to
other techniques, mass spectrometry is advantageous because
with one detector we can do both qualitative and quantitative
analysis of explosives and their degradation products. Also, mass
spectrometry, especially high-resolution mass spectrometry,
enables us to monitor the degradation and metabolization path of
explosives, and identify unknown compounds.
We believe that our work on the development and validation
of methods for analysis of all explosives and their degradation
products will allow for their practical use in environmental
monitoring and forensic science. In addition, the possibility
of substance identification gives us the opportunity for more
complex analyses of environmental or forensic samples.
Q: What are the biggest challenges that are still to
be overcome and how might they be addressed?
A: The biggest challenge is to develop and validate sensitive
methods for the detection of explosives and their degradation
products in sea water and sediment samples, as large amounts of
conventional and chemical munitions are dumped in the oceans
and seas. Both chemical warfare agents and explosives undergo
very complex transformations under the influence of the marine
environment. As a result, after a long time, a lot of substances
significantly differ from the starting substances which were
dumped in the marine environment. In addition, substances
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