Characterization of cyclotrimethylenetrinitramine (RDX) by pyrolysis H2O/D2O atmospheric-pressure chemical ionization tandem mass spectrometry

✍ Scribed by A. Peter Snyder; Shirley A. Liebman; Michael A. Schroeder; Robert A. Fifer

• Publisher: John Wiley and Sons
• Year: 1990
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 630 KB
• Volume: 25
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 1076-5174
• DOI: 10.1002/oms.1210250113

✦ Synopsis

The oxidative pyrolysis-atmospheric-pressure chemical ionization tandem mass spectrometry (Py-APCI MS/MS) of cyclotrimethylenetrinitramine (RDX) was investigated under various sample introduction conditions. Subambient (0.97 atm) as opposed to ambient (0.98 atm) pressure (1 atm = 101.325 kPa) facilitated the appearance of new pyrolysis mass spectral ions, including m/z 44. Deuterated decomposition products from ['HIRDX contained amide groups and, depending on the ion source pressure, significant differences in the degree of protodeuterium exchange occurred on the amide groups. The D,O Py-APCI MS/MS method also confirmed and extended the analogous H,O APCI information from RDX, ['HIRDX and pure standards. The m/z 44 decompositon species was identified as protonated dimethylimine, [H,CN=CHJ+ as opposed to its primary amine isomer, [H,CC(H)=NH)H+, which contains an acidic proton. It was determined that m/z 60 is due to protonated Nmethylformamide and acetaldoxime, [H,CC(H)=NOHIH+.