RDX DETECTION BY FLOWCELL SERRS

     M L Monaghan*1, W E Smith1, D Graham1, C McHugh1, R Lacey2, M Hogbin2

     1 Dept. Pure & Applied Chemistry, Strathclyde University, 295 Cathedral
St,
     Glasgow, G1 1XL, UK. 
     2 Police Scientific Development Branch of UK Home Office, St Albans, UK


A flowcell was developed to carry out the derivitisation of RDX and SERRS
detection on-line.  The RDX was suspended in sodium hydroxide and broken
down to nitrite by heating the suspension to 98 degrees Celsius.  This
nitrite was the reacted with sulfanilic acid to form a diazonium salt.  The
diazonium salt was then coupled to 8-hydroxy quinoline to form an azo dye
(lmax of azo dye was 498.4 nm). SERRS spectra were recorded through the
capillary using a Renishaw Spectra-Probe System 100 spectrometer with
excitation at 514.5 nm.  The dye could be observed down to a concentration
of 5*10-7 mol.dm-3.


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