Mass Spectral Studies on Vinylic Degradation Products of Sulfur Mustards under Gas Chromatography/Mass Spectrometry Conditions

Abstract

Sulfur mustards are a class of vesicant chemical warfare agents that rapidly degrade in environmental samples. The most feasible degradation products of sulfur mustards are chloroethyl vinylic compounds and divinylic compounds, which are formed by the elimination of one and two HCl molecules from sulfur mustards, respectively. The detection and characterization of these degradation products in environmental samples are an important proof for the verification of sulfur mustard usage. In this study, we synthesized a set of sulfur mustard degradation products, i.e., divinylic compounds (1–7) and chloroethyl vinylic compounds (8–14), and characterized using gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS) under electron ionization (EI) and chemical ionization (CI) (methane) conditions. The EI mass spectra of the studied compounds mainly included the fragment ions that resulted from homolytic cleavages with or without hydrogen migrations. The divinylic compounds (1–7) showed [M – SH]+ ions, whereas the chloroethylvinyl compounds (8–14) showed [M – Cl]+ and [M – CH2CH2Cl]+ ions. Methane/CI mass spectra showed [M + H]+ ions and provided molecular weight information. The GC retention index (RI) values were also calculated for the studied compounds. The EI and CI mass spectral data together with RI values are extremely useful for off-site analysis for the verification of the chemical weapons convention and also to participate in official Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons proficiency tests.