Development and use of a thermal desorption unit and proton transfer reaction mass spectrometry for trace explosive detection: determination of the instrumental limits of detection and an investigation of memory effects

Ramón González-Méndez; D. Fraser Reich; Stephen J. Mullock; Clive A. Corlett; Christopher Mayhew

doi:10.1016/j.ijms.2015.05.003

Development and use of a thermal desorption unit and proton transfer reaction mass spectrometry for trace explosive detection: determination of the instrumental limits of detection and an investigation of memory effects

Ramón González-Méndez, D. Fraser Reich, Stephen J. Mullock, Clive A. Corlett, Christopher Mayhew

Physics and Astronomy

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

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Abstract

A novel thermal desorption unit (TDU) has been developed and specifically designed for the detection of trace quantities of explosives using a proton transfer reaction mass spectrometer (PTR-MS). For the first time details on recovery times and instrumental limits of detection for the screening of explosives with this TDU/PTR-MS system are reported. We demonstrate that traces (nanograms or less) of explosives deposited on swabs are desorbed within less than a second upon insertion into the TDU. For a short period of time (seconds) a concentration “pulse” of an explosive enters the drift (reaction) tube of the PTR-MS. This temporal concentration pulse of material is monitored in real-time by recoding the product ion intensities for a given explosive as a function of time. By changing the reduced electric field in the drift tube region of the PTR-MS, we demonstrate how selectivity can be improved. This study demonstrates that the TDU/PTR-MS instrument meets security application criteria in terms of sensitivity, selectivity and recovery times.

Original language	English
Pages (from-to)	13-18
Journal	International Journal of Mass Spectrometry
Volume	385
Early online date	11 May 2015
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijms.2015.05.003
Publication status	Published - 15 Jun 2015

Keywords

Proton transfer reaction mass spectrometry (PTR-MS)
Explosives
Explosives detection
Thermal desorption unit

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10.1016/j.ijms.2015.05.003

Gonzalez_Mendez_et_al_Development_use_thermal_desorption_unit_International_Journal_Mass_Spectrometry_2015
NOTICE: this is the author’s version of a work that was accepted for publication in International Journal of Mass Spectrometry. Changes resulting from the publishing process, such as peer review, editing, corrections, structural formatting, and other quality control mechanisms may not be reflected in this document. Changes may have been made to this work since it was submitted for publication. A definitive version was subsequently published in International Journal of Mass Spectrometry, DOI: 10.1016/j.ijms.2015.05.003. After an embargo period, this document is subject to the terms of the Creative Commons Non-Commercial No-Derivatives license. Eligibility for repository checked June 2015
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González-Méndez, R., Reich, D. F., Mullock, S. J., Corlett, C. A., & Mayhew, C. (2015). Development and use of a thermal desorption unit and proton transfer reaction mass spectrometry for trace explosive detection: determination of the instrumental limits of detection and an investigation of memory effects. International Journal of Mass Spectrometry, 385, 13-18. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijms.2015.05.003

González-Méndez, Ramón ; Reich, D. Fraser ; Mullock, Stephen J. et al. / Development and use of a thermal desorption unit and proton transfer reaction mass spectrometry for trace explosive detection : determination of the instrumental limits of detection and an investigation of memory effects. In: International Journal of Mass Spectrometry. 2015 ; Vol. 385. pp. 13-18.

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title = "Development and use of a thermal desorption unit and proton transfer reaction mass spectrometry for trace explosive detection: determination of the instrumental limits of detection and an investigation of memory effects",

abstract = "A novel thermal desorption unit (TDU) has been developed and specifically designed for the detection of trace quantities of explosives using a proton transfer reaction mass spectrometer (PTR-MS). For the first time details on recovery times and instrumental limits of detection for the screening of explosives with this TDU/PTR-MS system are reported. We demonstrate that traces (nanograms or less) of explosives deposited on swabs are desorbed within less than a second upon insertion into the TDU. For a short period of time (seconds) a concentration “pulse” of an explosive enters the drift (reaction) tube of the PTR-MS. This temporal concentration pulse of material is monitored in real-time by recoding the product ion intensities for a given explosive as a function of time. By changing the reduced electric field in the drift tube region of the PTR-MS, we demonstrate how selectivity can be improved. This study demonstrates that the TDU/PTR-MS instrument meets security application criteria in terms of sensitivity, selectivity and recovery times.",

keywords = "Proton transfer reaction mass spectrometry (PTR-MS), Explosives, Explosives detection, Thermal desorption unit",

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González-Méndez, R, Reich, DF, Mullock, SJ, Corlett, CA & Mayhew, C 2015, 'Development and use of a thermal desorption unit and proton transfer reaction mass spectrometry for trace explosive detection: determination of the instrumental limits of detection and an investigation of memory effects', International Journal of Mass Spectrometry, vol. 385, pp. 13-18. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijms.2015.05.003

Development and use of a thermal desorption unit and proton transfer reaction mass spectrometry for trace explosive detection: determination of the instrumental limits of detection and an investigation of memory effects. / González-Méndez, Ramón; Reich, D. Fraser; Mullock, Stephen J. et al.
In: International Journal of Mass Spectrometry, Vol. 385, 15.06.2015, p. 13-18.

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

TY - JOUR

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T2 - determination of the instrumental limits of detection and an investigation of memory effects

AU - González-Méndez, Ramón

AU - Reich, D. Fraser

AU - Mullock, Stephen J.

AU - Corlett, Clive A.

AU - Mayhew, Christopher

PY - 2015/6/15

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AB - A novel thermal desorption unit (TDU) has been developed and specifically designed for the detection of trace quantities of explosives using a proton transfer reaction mass spectrometer (PTR-MS). For the first time details on recovery times and instrumental limits of detection for the screening of explosives with this TDU/PTR-MS system are reported. We demonstrate that traces (nanograms or less) of explosives deposited on swabs are desorbed within less than a second upon insertion into the TDU. For a short period of time (seconds) a concentration “pulse” of an explosive enters the drift (reaction) tube of the PTR-MS. This temporal concentration pulse of material is monitored in real-time by recoding the product ion intensities for a given explosive as a function of time. By changing the reduced electric field in the drift tube region of the PTR-MS, we demonstrate how selectivity can be improved. This study demonstrates that the TDU/PTR-MS instrument meets security application criteria in terms of sensitivity, selectivity and recovery times.

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KW - Explosives

KW - Explosives detection

KW - Thermal desorption unit

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González-Méndez R, Reich DF, Mullock SJ, Corlett CA, Mayhew C. Development and use of a thermal desorption unit and proton transfer reaction mass spectrometry for trace explosive detection: determination of the instrumental limits of detection and an investigation of memory effects. International Journal of Mass Spectrometry. 2015 Jun 15;385:13-18. Epub 2015 May 11. doi: 10.1016/j.ijms.2015.05.003