posted on 2024-01-19, 09:03authored byJohnny J. Perez, John J. Brady, Alicia Broderick, Andrew Horan, Kevin Pedersen, Benjamin P. Wilkins
Resolution and sensitivity improvements in mass spectrometry
technology
have enabled renewed attempts at solving challenging analytical issues.
One such issue involves the analysis of energetic ionic species. Energetic
ionic species make up an important class of chemical materials, and
a more robust and versatile analytical platform would provide tremendous
value to the analytical community. Initial attempts at quantification
of energetic ionic species employed high-resolution time-of-flight
measurements with crown ether (CE) complexation and flow injection
analysis (FIA). In this investigation, ammonium nitrate (AN) and urea
nitrate (UN) in the presence of a crown ether complexation agent were
explored by using high-resolution orbitrap mass spectrometry. Product
ion scans of these signature complexes reveal positive identification
of these energetic ionic species. Finally, quantification was demonstrated
for both flow injection and liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry
(LC-MS) analysis, suggesting the capability for routine and rapid
analysis of these energetic ionic materials.