7 Aug 2025

Continued Development of Methods for the Determination of Legacy and Insensitive Munitions from Environmental Matrices: Addition of Four Degradation Products and One Internal Standard to Previously Developed 29-Analyte Method

Abstract: To continue improving separation methods of explosive analytes and their degradation products, chromatographic methods from Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) 8330B, Strategic Environmental Research and Development Program (SERDP) 2722, and Environmental Sensors for Explosives were modified to include the separation of four additional analytes and one internal standard so that a total of 36 analytes could be resolved on a single column. Four degradation compounds, 3-amino-1,2,4-triazol-5-one (ATO); 1 methyl-3-nitroguandine (MeNQ); 2 methoxy-5-nitroaniline (MENA); and 4 methoxy-3-nitroaniline (iMENA) were added to the analytical method. The internal standard, 3,5-dinitrotoluene, was also added to the method to extend its application. Additionally, an analytical method on gas chromatography (GC) and gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC-MS) were explored for the analytes of interest.