A Method for the Analysis of Tabun in Multisol Using Gas Chromatographic Flame Photometric Detection

In the past we have found tabun (GA) in saline at 2 microgram/ml to be stable for only a month or less at -70 degrees C. Previous studies have shown that Multisol provides stable solutions of GA. We confirmed the stability of GA in Multisol with phosphorus nuclear magnetic resonance and developed a method for the analysis of GA in Multisol using gas chromatographic flame photometric detection (GCFPD) in the phosphorus mode. The GC method used acetonitrile (CH3CN) for a dilution solvent because of its miscibility with GA in chloroform (CHC13) standards and GA in Multisol samples at 1% (v/v). Furthermore, the dilutions with CH3CN made the phosphorus mode interference peak present in CHC13 analytically manageable, reduced the interferences of Multisol in the GC separation, and contributed to a safe and reliable analysis of GA at 20 microgram/ml. We demonstrated the stability of GA in Multisol stored for more than a year at -70 degrees C. This method contributes a suitable technique for the preparation and analysis of reliable solutions of GA in nerve agent medical research and demonstrates the extended stability of GA in Multisol. The original document contains color images.