INTERNAL STANDARDS FOR QUANTITATIVE ANALYSIS OF CHEMICAL WARFARE AGENTS BY THE GC/MSMETHOD: BLISTER AGENTS

Abstract

Analysis of hazardous chemical substances in the Czech Republic is the main task of
special chemical laboratories of the Fire and Rescue Service (FRS). General conditions and
requirements for an internal standard useful in the determination of chemical warfare agents
(CWAs) by the method of gas chromatography coupled with mass detection (GC/MS) were
defined. The determination is based on a GC/MS analysis of a mixture of a CWA with an
internal standard, conversion of the total ion current (TIC) chromatogram to extracted-ion
chromatogram (EIC) at a particular m/z ratio, and calculation of the CWA concentration from
the internal standard concentration, response factor and chromatographic peak areas.
Available internal standards were identified, and they were verified for four blister agents.
Corresponding response factors were determined as a ratio of slopes of the linear functions of
peak area and compound concentration. Linearity, repeatability, and accuracy of the
measurements were evaluated. The determination can be performed on all GC/MS systems of
the FRS, where no CWA standards are available.