Novel UHPLC Method to Analyze Insensitive Munitions in Various Soil Order Incubations.

The U.S. Army has sought to replace traditional munitions such as TNT with improved insensitive munitions (IM). IMX 101 is an IM that has replaced traditional munitions due to reduced sensitivity to stimuli, which is composed of nitroguanidine (NQ), 3-nitro-1,2,4-triazol-5-one (NTO), and 2,4-dinitroanisole (DNAN). There is a limited understanding on the fate and transport of new IM in soil and water systems. A novel method was developed using Ultra-High Performance Liquid Chromatography (UHPLC) technology with a C-18 and amide functional column to analyze munitions and breakdown products in soil water extractions. This method provides qualification and quantification of traditional and insensitive munitions with less time and resources required than traditional HPLC analysis. In this study, saturated incubations with individual components of IMX 101 were conducted with three soil orders of differing physical and chemical properties; the soil orders of interest were Alfisols, Mollisols, and Ultisols. The degradation rate and breakdown products of IMX 101 were analyzed to improve understanding the fate of this IM in these soil orders. Redox potential and produced greenhouse gases (CO2, CH4, N2O) were measured to assist in determining the degradation rate of NTO, NQ, and DNAN. Preliminary results suggest that soils with greater fertility show increased munition degradation.