Identification of nitrate ester explosives by liquid chromatography–electrospray ionization and atmospheric pressure chemical ionization mass spectrometry

Liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry (LC–MS) with electrospray ionization (ESI) and atmospheric pressure chemical ionization (APCI), in the negative-ion mode, was investigated for the analyses of three widely used nitrate ester explosives, pentaerythritol tetranitrate, nitroglycerin and ethylene glycol dinitrate, as well as six additional nitrate esters, using post-column additives. In ESI, ammonium nitrate, sodium nitrite, propionic acid and ammonium chloride promoted formation of characteristic adduct ions of the respective nitrate esters. In APCI, chlorinated agents, dichloromethane, chloroform, carbon tetrachloride and ammonium chloride, were employed, forming chloride attachment adduct ions. Three forensic samples, Booster DYNO, Semtex and Smokeless Powder, were analyzed to demonstrate the validity of the developed LC–MS methods.