004-Mass Spec-V17
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The Diverse Applications of <strong>Mass</strong> <strong>Spec</strong>trometry<br />
appearing as a result of chemical or biochemical transformation<br />
are on the one hand in very different concentrations, and on<br />
the other hand, often have similar properties and therefore it is<br />
difficult to distinguish, identify and quantify them. Sea water and<br />
sediments are very complex matrices and extraction of analytes<br />
with one solvent yielding good recovery is difficult to achieve.<br />
References<br />
1. P. Lebel et al., J. Chromatogr. A. 1343 134–151. (2014)<br />
2. J. Kim et al., Anal. Bioanal. Chem. 408, 251–263. (2016)<br />
3. F. Shi et al., J. Chromatogr. A. 1344, 91–98. (2014)<br />
A related significant aspect is to determine the influence of<br />
explosives and their degradation products on the marine<br />
environment. In both cases, mass spectrometry is a powerful<br />
tool and importantly does not limit identification to known<br />
metabolites and degradation products. This information is<br />
crucial for determining the toxicity of explosives and allows us to<br />
trace the path of their metabolism.<br />
Q: Can you tell us about an occasion where this<br />
technology has been successfully applied to<br />
combat crime?<br />
A: Our laboratory have applied mass spectrometry for the<br />
identification and quantification of explosives and their<br />
degradations products in sediment samples and actual explosives<br />
fished out of the Baltic Sea. These have included trinitrotoluene<br />
(TNT) and (cyclotrimethylenetrinitramine) RDX.<br />
<strong>Mass</strong> spectrometry has crime fighting applications beyond<br />
explosives including the analysis of drugs 1, 2 , herbal medicines 3<br />
and dietary supplements 3 . These applications are very important<br />
in forensic analysis because their results are used as evidence<br />
in criminal proceedings. <strong>Mass</strong> spectrometry gives us new<br />
possibilities to search for trace substances that can be used as<br />
evidence.<br />
Professor Stanislaw Popiel was speaking to Dr Karen Steward, Science<br />
Writer for Technology Networks.<br />
Dr. Stanislaw Popiel is an Associate<br />
Professor of Chemistry at the Military<br />
University of Technology in Warsaw,<br />
Poland. Prof. Popiel has over 30 years<br />
of experience in analytical chemistry,<br />
especially in analysis of dangerous<br />
substances, such as chemical warfare<br />
agents, explosives and their degradation<br />
products. His main task is the<br />
development and validation of analytical methods based on both gas and<br />
liquid chromatography especially in combination with mass and tandem<br />
mass spectrometry. In his lab, Prof. Popiel has a number of analytical<br />
instrumentations with several Master’s & PhD students. He holds<br />
numerous publications in his field and notable awards.<br />
Technology Networks 2018<br />
19<br />
TechnologyNetworks.com