Field Analysis of Munitions Constituents Using a Field-portable GC-MS

Abstract : This technical note describes the use of a field-portable gas chromatograph (GC) mass spectrometer (MS) for the in-field analysis of munitions constituents (MCs) in groundwater. Field-portable instrumentation was used to analyze the explosives nitrobenzene (NB), 1,3- dinitrobenzene (1,3-DNB), 2,4-dinitrotoluene (2,4-DNT), 1,3,5-trinitrobenzene (TNB), 2,4,6- trinitrotoluene (TNT) and hexahydro-1,3,5-trinitro-1,3,5-triazacyclohexane (RDX). Method performance was compared with that for a typical conventional laboratory method.