Trace detection and competitive ionization of erythritol tetranitrate in mixtures using direct analysis in real time mass spectrometry

Direct analysis in real time (DART) mass spectrometry (MS) was used for trace detection of the nitrate ester explosive erythritol tetranitrate (ETN) and its sugar alcohol precursor erythritol. The present investigation revealed the impact of competitive ionization between ETN, erythritol, and nitric acid for the detection of sugar alcohol-based homemade explosives. DART-MS facilitated the direct investigation of matrix effects related to the desorption process and compound volatility, as well as the ionization process, neutralization, and affinity for nitrate adduct formation. ETN and erythritol were directly detected at nanogram to sub-nanogram levels by DART-MS.