Assessment of portable FTIR and Raman spectroscopy for the detection of 2,3-dimethyl-2,3-dinitrobutane(DMDNB)in plastic explosives

The Marplex Convention was established to prevent the manufacture of unmarked plastic explosives and stipulates that a volatile detection agent must be added at the time of manufacture.However,to-date,laboratory testing remains the internationally accepted practice for identifying and quantifying the taggants stipulated in the Convention.In this project,portable FTIR and Raman instruments were tested for their ability to detect 2,3-dimethyl-2,3-dinitrobutane(DMDNB),the chemical marker incorporated in plastic explosives that are manufactured within Australia.While both FTIR and Raman instruments detected solid DMDNB(98%purity),field analysis of plastic explosives at an Australian Defence establishment showed that both FTIR and Raman spectra were matched the relevant explosive(RDX or PETN),rather than the DMDNB taggant.For all three plastic explosives tested,the concentration of DMDNB was measured by SPME-GC-MS to be between 1.8 and 2%,greater than the minimum 1%concentration stipulated by the Marplex Convention.Additional testing with a plastic explosive analogue confirmed that the minor absorption peaks that would characterize low concentrations of DMDNB were masked by absorption bands from other compounds within the solid.Thus,while both FTIR and Raman spectroscopy are suitable for detection of plastic explosives,neither rely on the presence of DMDNB for detection.It is likely that similar results would be found for other taggants stipulated by the Marplex Convention,given they are also present in concentrations less than 1%.

Organic chloramines in chlorine-based disinfected water systems： A critical review

This paper is a critical review of current knowledge of organic chloramines in water systems,including their formation, stability, toxicity, analytical methods for detection, and their impact on drinking water treatment and quality. The term organic chloramines may refer to any halogenated organic compounds measured as part of combined chlorine（the difference between the measured free and total chlorine concentrations）, and may include N-chloramines,N-chloramino acids, N-chloraldimines and N-chloramides. Organic chloramines can form when dissolved organic nitrogen or dissolved organic carbon react with either free chlorine or inorganic chloramines. They are potentially harmful to humans and may exist as an intermediate for other disinfection by-products. However, little information is available on the formation or occurrence of organic chloramines in water due to a number of challenges. One of the biggest challenges for the identification and quantification of organic chloramines in water systems is the lack of appropriate analytical methods. In addition, many of the organic chloramines that form during disinfection are unstable, which results in difficulties in sampling and detection. To date research has focussed on the study of organic monochloramines.However, given that breakpoint chlorination is commonly undertaken in water treatment systems, the formation of organic dichloramines should also be considered. Organic chloramines can be formed from many different precursors and pathways. Therefore, studying the occurrence of their precursors in water systems would enable better prediction and management of their formation.

Formation and control of nitrogenous DBPs from Western Australian source waters: Investigating the impacts of high nitrogen and bromide concentrations

We studied the formation of four nitrogenous DBPs（N-DBPs） classes（haloacetonitriles,halonitromethanes, haloacetamides, and N-nitrosamines）, as well as trihalomethanes and total organic halogen（TOX）, after chlorination or chloramination of source waters. We also evaluated the relative and additive toxicity of N-DBPs and water treatment options for minimisation of N-DBPs. The formation of halonitromethanes, haloacetamides, and N-nitrosamines was higher after chloramination and positively correlated with dissolved organic nitrogen or total nitrogen. N-DBPs were major contributors to the toxicity of both chlorinated and chloraminated waters. The strong correlation between bromide concentration and the overall calculated DBP additive toxicity for both chlorinated and chloraminated source waters demonstrated that formation of brominated haloacetonitriles was the main contributor to toxicity. Ozone–biological activated carbon treatment was not effective in removing N-DBP precursors. The occurrence and formation of N-DBPs should be investigated on a case-by-case basis, especially where advanced water treatment processes are being considered to minimise their formation in drinking waters, and where chloramination is used for final disinfection.