Characterization of alkylphosphonic acid vapors using atmospheric flow tube-ion trap mass spectrometry.

Although measured over a limited dynamic range, the real-time analysis afforded by this method suggests the feasibility of using thermodynamically stable anionic adducts to monitor organophosphorus compounds via AFT-MS. In addition, this is proof-of-concept for the use of this ambient sensing technique to detect phosphonic acids. Furthermore, a discussion is included regarding gaps in clustering thermodynamics literature that would assist in uncovering physical or chemical explanations for observed trends.