Long-Term Evaluation of the Fate of Sulfur Mustard on Dry and Humid Soils, Asphalt, and Concrete

Abstract

The long-term fate of the blister agent sulfur mustard (HD, bis(2-chloroethyl)sulfide) was determined in a variety of commercial and natural matrices. HD was found to be extremely stable in dry matrices for over a year. The addition of 5% water to the matrices induced slow degradation of HD, which lasted several months. The major degradation product in sands and asphalt was found to be a sulfonium salt, S[CH(2)CH(2)S(+)(CH(2)CH(2)OH)(2)](2) (H-2TG). Red loam soil, which has not been examined before, exhibited strong interaction with HD, both in dry form and in the presence of water. Humid red loam soil gave rise to unique oxidative degradation products. On humid concrete HD degraded to a complex mixture of products, including vinyls. This may be attributed to the basic sites incorporated in concrete.

Structural elucidation of V‐type nerve agents by liquid chromatography/electrospray ionization mass spectrometry

“…Alternatively, the loss of methanol from MEPA, leading to the formation of an ion indicative of the ethylphosphonic acid backbone at m/z 90.9954, was observed. This loss could occur from [M − H] − through the formation of an ion–dipole complex 18 . The dissociation process equivalent to the loss of methanol from MEPA was the loss of ethanol from EMPA to produce an ion at m/z 76.9798, which was indicative of the methylphosphonic acid backbone.…”

“…13 Due to their high stability and low volatility, they can persist for months, posing physiological and ecological threats. [14][15][16][17][18] In an attempt to address ). This ion, similar to the PO 3 − ion, is common to many organophosphorus structures.…”

“…The Figure 4, this generalization is also based on ESI-MS/MS fragmentation rules from previously reported studies. 18 ORCID Avi Weissberg https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1398-5246…”

Fate of Nerve Agent Tabun in Concrete and Soil: Evaporation and Decontamination

“…A substantial amount of work has been published on the fate of CWAs on the natural and built en-vironment, largely as a result of military research (Wagner et al, 2004;Tang et al, 2006;Columbus et al, 2018;Jung and Choi, 2018). A large number of the reports available have focused on the fates of mustard agent (bis (2-chloroethyl)sulfide [HD]) or venomous agent X (VX,ethyl methylphosphonothioate) in the natural outdoor environment, and their influences over material (Mizrahi and Columbus, 2005;Mizrahi et al, 2011;Columbus et al, 2012). Concurrently, considerably less research has been published in the open literature regarding the fate of tabun on common civil surfaces.…”

1H and 13C{1H} NMR spectral parameters of sulfur mustards, nitrogen mustards, and lewisites: Computing and Predicting of Reference Spectra for Chemical Identification

“…Analyzing the parameters of such case does not need a computer. The degrading mechanisms, products, and destruction methods of mustards have been studied more widely,…”