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Forensic Toxicology

Published in:

01-07-2021 | Review Article

Recent progress in the chemical attribution of chemical warfare agents and highly toxic organophosphorus pesticides

Authors: Xiaogang Lu, Zixuan Zhang, Runli Gao, Hongmei Wang, Junhua Xiao

Published in: Forensic Toxicology | Issue 2/2021

Abstract

Purpose

This paper reviews the background of the development of chemical attribution technology, and discusses analytical and chemometrics technologies for chemical warfare agents (CWAs) and highly toxic organophosphorus pesticides. The analytical methods include gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC–MS), liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry (LC–MS), infrared spectroscopy (IR), Raman spectroscopy, nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (NMR), and other technologies. The chemometrics technologies include principal component analysis (PCA), hierarchical cluster analysis (HCA), partial least squares–discriminant analysis (PLS–DA), random forest (RF), and other technologies. The combination of these analytical techniques can be used to detect a variety of CWAs and highly toxic organophosphorus pesticides.

Methods

All the reviewed information was collected through detailed searches on Scopus, PubMed and Web of Science using relevant keywords (such as chemical threat agents, chemical attribution and chemometrics).

Results

Most chemical attribution analyses of CWAs and highly toxic organophosphorus pesticides still rely on chromatography–mass spectrometry, such as GC–MS and LC–MS. Chemical attribution analysis involves sample composition analysis in addition to sample identification as well as sample traceability analysis. The analysis data involved is often relatively large, and thus chemometrics methods are required to adequately analyze the data. However, the analysis of mixtures of CWAs and related chemical substances remains challenging, and the analytical capabilities of the instrument need to be further improved. Although these technologies have high selectivity and application prospects, the analysis of real samples is still rare.

Conclusions

Although the chemical attribution technology for CWAs and related chemical substances has been developed to a certain extent, the development of real sample analytical methods has not been well established or verified. In the future, it is expected that more analytical methods that address sensitivity, specificity, stability, and repeatability will be developed.

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Title: Recent progress in the chemical attribution of chemical warfare agents and highly toxic organophosphorus pesticides
Authors: Xiaogang Lu
Zixuan Zhang
Runli Gao
Hongmei Wang
Junhua Xiao
Publication date: 01-07-2021
Publisher: Springer Singapore
Published in: Forensic Toxicology / Issue 2/2021
Print ISSN: 1860-8965
Electronic ISSN: 1860-8973
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11419-021-00578-7

ACC 2024 Congress

Springer Medicine

Recent progress in the chemical attribution of chemical warfare agents and highly toxic organophosphorus pesticides

Abstract

Purpose

Methods

Results

Conclusions

ACC 2024 Congress

Springer Medicine

Abstract

Purpose

Methods

Results

Conclusions

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