Improvements in the Determination of Decomposition Gases from 1,3,3-Trinitroazetidine and 5-Nitro-2,4-dihydro-3H-1,2,4-triazol-3-one Using Capillary Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry

Abstract

A Chrompack PLOT fused-silica capillary column with a narrow internal diameter (0.25 mm) and PoraPLOT Q stationary phase are used for the simultaneous gas chromatographic-mass spectrometric determination of nitrogen, oxygen, carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, nitrous oxide, nitric oxide, hydrogen cyanide, cyanogen, and water from thermal decompositions of the highly energetic materials 1,3,3-trinitroazetidine (TNAZ) and 5-nitro-2,4-dihydro-3H-1,2,4-triazol-3-one. Previously this laboratory required two separate capillary columns for analyses of nitrogen, oxygen, carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, and nitrous oxide. The detection of hydrogen cyanide and cyanogen gases as products of TNAZ thermal decomposition is verified for the first time by our laboratory using this new column.