Equipment and analysis tools

FOI can carry out assignments within a large number of areas, such as:
• Analyses of industrial chemicals and their relevant toxicological degradation products.
• Chemical examinations and component analyses.
• Determination of structural details and modifications in proteins.
• Trace analyses of substances in biologic liquids.
• Forensic analyses for government authorities.

The FOI Division of CBRN Defence and Security* can carry out advanced analyses using the very latest technology for chemical analyses.
FOI constitutes part of the OPCW** network, that monitors the observance of the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC) and is prepared to effect inspections of fobidden use of all forms of chemical weapons.

As one of the OPCW members FOI is subjected to an annual analytical appraisal of equipment and methods used in the work with chemical weapons. The equipment is also accredited as per SWEDAC (Swedish Board for Accreditation and Conformity Assessment).

In order to be able to take responsibility för the monitoring of chemical weapons FOI uses such instruments as:
• Gascromatograph with mass spectrometer (GC-MS).
• Gas chromatograph with elementary specific detectors.
• Liquid chromatograph linked to high-resolution mass spectrometers (LC-MS/MS).
• Capillary electrophoresis using UV or MS detection (CE-UV, CE-MS/MS).
• IR instruments.
• Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) instruments.

* CBRN is a designation for chemical (C), bacteriological (B), radiological (R) or nuclear (N) weapons. It replaces the previous designation NBC.
** OPCW stands for Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons.