Determination of Moisture in Red Agent of Abandoned Chemical Weapon by Japan using Karl Fischer Titration

The Red Agent belongs to a class of Abandoned Chemical Weapon by Japan (JACW), and its main component is diphenylcyanoarsine. The moisture in Red Agent must be detected before these dangerous JACWs are destroyed in the destruction facility, since various components in the Red Agent need to be qualified and quantified accurately based on the determination of moisture in Red Agent. Results showed that the Karl Fischer method can be well applied for the determination of moisture in Red Agent just using ethylene glycol monomethyl ether instead of methanol to prepare the Karl Fischer reagent. The water contents in the Red Agent samples varied from 0.75% to 1.50% except for one sample, which indicated that the Red Agent just contained the trace water though these JACWs were buried more than 50 years. Hence, it is concluded that the effect of water content in the Red Agent may not be considered during their future destruction.