New developments in SPME Part 2: Analysis of ammonium nitrate-based explosives
Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 25, 2026

Research and Development of High-performance Explosives
Published on: February 20, 2016
Hayley Brown1, K Paul Kirkbride, Paul E Pigou
1Flinders University of South Australia, GPO Box 2100, Adelaide, South Australia, 5001.
Abstract:
Solid-phase microextraction (SPME) followed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) is a simple, reliable technique for the recovery and analysis of many organic explosives. However, this technique is impractical for the analysis of ammonium nitrate-type explosives due to the extreme polarity, low molecular weight, and high volatility of the amine moiety. This article describes an initial investigation of a derivatization process utilizing alkylchloroformates that converts ammonium nitrate and methylammonium nitrate into a form suitable for recovery by SPME and analysis by GC-MS.
Related Concept Videos
2° Amines to N-Nitrosamines: Reaction with NaNO2
Mass Spectrometry of Amines
Mass Spectrometry: Amine Fragmentation
In amines, the number of nitrogen atoms affects the mass of the molecular ion, which is described by the nitrogen rule of mass spectrometry. This rule states that a compound containing a single or...
NMR Spectroscopy Of Amines
Atomic Absorption Spectroscopy: Atomization Methods
Preparation of 1° Amines: Gabriel Synthesis
Strong bases like NaOH or KOH deprotonate the phthalimide to form the corresponding anion, which acts as a nucleophile. Further, the anion attacks an...

