Detection of chemical warfare agents in water by solid phase microextraction-ion mobility spectrometry (SPME-IMS)

Water samples containing chemical warfare agents were analyzed with a SPME-IMS instrument. The agent was extracted during 5 minutes with the SPME fibre which was then inserted into the heated ion source of the IMS instrument. The SPME-IMS instrument provides a fast detection technique suitable for field operation. Using a 5-minute sampling time, up to ten water samples per hour can be analyzed. About 10 ng substance is sufficient to detect an agent with the IMS instrument. The obtained detection limits were about 1 ppm or better for the seven different agents tested.