Hydrophilic interaction liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry methylphosponic and alkyl methylphosphonic acids determination in environmental samples after pre-column derivatization with p-bromophenacyl bromide

• Very simple sample pretreatment was developed.
• Alkyl methylphosphonic acids unlike methylphosphonic acid did not react with p-bromophenacyl bromide under chosen conditions.
• Low limits of detection (0.005–0.2 ng mL−1) for methylphosphonic acid and alkyl methylphosphonic acids were achieved.
• Developed approach was successfully applied to the real samples of dust and ground mixed samples from the territory of former chemical weapons plant

Once exposed to the environment organophosphate nerve agents readily degrade by rapid hydrolysis to the corresponding alkyl methylphosphonic acids which do not exist in nature. These alkyl methylphosphonic acids are finally slowly hydrolyzed to methylphosphonic acid. Methylphosphonic acid is the most stable hydrolysis product of organophosphate nerve agents, persisting in environment for a long time. A highly sensitive method of methylphosphonic acid and alkyl methylphosphonic acids detection in dust and ground mixed samples has been developed and validated. The fact that alkyl methylphosphonic acids unlike methylphosphonic acid did not react with p-bromophenacyl bromide under chosen conditions was discovered. This allowed simultaneous chromatographic separation and mass spectrometric detection of derivatized methylphosphonic acid and underivatized alkyl methylphosphonic acids using HILIC–MS/MS method. Very simple sample pretreatment with high recoveries for each analyte was developed. Methylphosphonic acid pre-column derivate and alkyl methylphosphonic acids were detected using tandem mass spectrometry with electrospray ionization after hydrophilic interaction liquid chromatography separation. The developed approach allows achieving ultra-low detection limits: 200 pg mL−1 for methylphosphonic acid, 70 pg mL−1 for ethyl methylphosphonic acid, 8 pg mL−1 for i-propyl methylphosphonic acid, 8 pg mL−1 for i-butyl methylphosphonic acid, 5 pg mL−1 for pinacolyl methylphosphonic acid in the extracts of dust and ground mixed samples. This approach was successfully applied to the dust and ground mixed samples from decommissioned plant for the production of chemical weapons.