Development and validation of a new RP-HPLC method for organic explosive compounds

Authors: SALİH MURAT ÜNSAL, EMRE ERKAN

Abstract: A new RP-HPLC method was developed and validated to achieve the separation and quantification of the organic explosive compounds such as pentaerythritol tetranitrate (PETN), 1-methyl-2,4,6-trinitro toluen (TNT), picric acid, 1,3,5,7-tetrazocine (HMX), cyclorimethylenetrinitramine (RDX), 2,4,6 Tri nitro phenyl methyl nitramine (Tetryl), 1-methyl-2,4-dinitro toluen (DNT), ethylene glycol dinitrate (EGDN), and trinitroglycerine (TNG) in this study. The mobile phase composition (IPA percentage in water) and the flow rate was optimized for the separation of the organic explosive compounds. Theoretical plate number (N), capacity factor (k'), resolution (Rs) were used to determine the optimum chromatographic conditions. The most favorable conditions were detected as 22% IPA in water, a flow rate of 1.7 mL/min. Under optimum chromatographic conditions, separation was completed within 18 min. The linear ranges were 6.5-100 and 10-0.625 mg/L (R² = 0.998-0.999) for investigated explosives. Mean recoveries were found to be in the range of 95.3%-103.3%. LOD and LOQ were ranged between 0.09-1.32 mg/L and 0.31-4.42 mg/L, respectively, for investigated explosives. The obtained results showed that the new method was very suitable for the separation of the resolution of organic explosive compounds with C18 columns. TNT and RDX seized from terrorists were found to be in 372.99 mg/L and 79.55 mg/L, respectively.

Keywords: Optimization, organic explosive, RP-HPLC, stationary phase, validation

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