While it is not possible to predict or necessarily prevent terrorist incidents in which chemical warfare agents (CWAs) and toxic industrial chemicals (TICs) are deployed, correctly chosen, fast, and reliable detection equipment will allow prepared rescue workers to respond quickly and minimize potential casualties. Detection Technologies

"" ... this book would be a significant addition to collections serving analytical and environmental chemistry research and teaching, as well as to ... those interested in weapons proliferation issues."" (E-STREAMS, June 2006).

Ratification of the Chemical Weapons Convention by more than 165 States Parties has reduced the risk of chemical warfare agent use, but there still remains a concern that other parties may make use of these weapons against civilian or military targets. Concerns within the defense and homeland security communities over possible terrorist use as well as the requirements for a verifiable Chemical Weapons Convention have driven the development of analytical methods such as liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS) for the detection and identification of chemical warfare agents. This paper provides a general overview of chemical warfare agents and analytical methods for their analysis, a focused review of LC-MS applications, a summary of in-house LC-MS methods developed at DRDC Suffield, and a comprehensive bibliography of analytical open literature papers dealing with chemical warfare agent detection and identification. The review sections provide the homeland security and defense communities with an overview of chemical warfare agents and analytical methods for their determination. Researchers interested in developing new methods for chemical warfare agents may use the reviewed material to quickly ascertain the state of development of analytical methods, in particular LC-MS methods, for chemical warfare agents. The reviewed materials will be used for reference purposes during the development of high field asymmetric waveform ion mobility spectrometry (FAIMS) mass spectrometry, a new analytical technique with the potential to rapidly separate and identify chemical warfare agents. The report concludes with 67 references. Appendix A is a 454-item bibliography of open literature analytical methods for the detection and identification of chemical warfare agents, their degradation products, and related compounds. Paper copies of each paper are held at DRDC Suffield and this comprehensive database of methods continues to be updated regularly using Procite software.

A sample handling and analysis method was developed for the identification of chemical warfare agents (as intact compounds or as their hydrolysis products) in samples suspected to contain either chemical or biological warfare agent contamination. The method, based on aqueous extraction, autoclaving of the aqueous extract and LC-ESI-MS analysis was evaluated using three soil samples spiked at the 80 microgram/g level with triethyl phosphate, isopropyl methylphosphonic acid or thiodiglycol. All three compounds were readily extracted and identified following LC-ESI-MS, with triethyl phosphate undergoing some hydrolysis during the autoclaving procedure. This sample handling and analysis method for soil (or other) samples will form a cornerstone of the chemical/biological warfare agent identification strategy being developed at DRDC Suffield to meet National commitments.