Use of solid-phase extraction and high-performance liquid chromatography for the determination of triazine residues in water: validation of the method

Determination of cymoxanil in drinking water and soil using high-performance liquid chromatography

We describe a method for determination of cymoxanil, 1-2-cyano-2-methoxy(iminoacetyl)-3-ethylurea, in drinking water and in soil, using reversed-phase HPLC with UV detection at 240 nm and a mobile phase of acetonitrile-water (30:70, v/v). Fortified water samples (1.0 L) were extracted with solid-phase extraction on Strata X. Soil samples (20 g) were extracted with acetone and the extracts were transferred onto Strata C18E. The recoveries of cymoxanil from water and soil samples were over 85% for each fortification level. The RDS were within the range 1.7-4.1% for water and 0.9-1.2% for soil samples. After optimization of the extraction and separation conditions, the method was validated.

Evaluation of the applicability and the stability of a C18 stationary phase containing embedded urea groups

Chromatographic evaluations of a new C18 urea phase in 150x3.9 mm HPLC columns, involving the separation of different test mixtures, indicate good performance for both polar and basic compounds when compared with a commercial C18 reversed phase and also show promising results for the separation of some herbicides. An aging study was performed by passing a potassium phosphate mobile phase buffered at pH 7 through 50x3.9 mm HPLC columns. The column stability was evaluated by means of the chromatographic parameters obtained for the separation of some compounds of the Neue test mixture, containing apolar, polar and highly basic analytes. The applicability of the new C18 urea phase was evaluated with a herbicide mixture.

Trace determination of priority pesticides in water by means of high-speed on-line solid-phase extraction-liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry using turbulent-flow chromatography columns for enrichment and a short monolithic column for fast liquid chromatographic separation

An integrated on-line SPE-HPLC-MS/MS system has been developed for the rapid analysis of various trace level priority pesticides in surface and drinking water. Eleven pesticides were included in this study, with various phenylureas, triazines and organophosphorous species among them. Use of turbulent-flow chromatography columns (TFC, 50 x 1 mm, 30-50 microm particle size) as extraction cartridges enables fast on-line SPE at high sampling flow-rate (5 ml/min). Polymeric and carbon based TFC columns (Oasis HLB, Cyclone, Hypercarb) allow complete extraction with good recoveries from water volumes up to 50 ml. On-line coupling to HPLC is performed with re-mixing of the organic TFC eluate with water in front of the analytical column to ensure efficient band focussing. For fast HPLC analysis, a short monolithic column is applied in combination with highly selective API-MS/MS detection. Matrix effects on the APCI-MS/MS signal were found to be reduced by the system to an acceptable minimum. Limits of detection, determined for 10-ml samples of river water were in the range between 0.4 and 13 ng/l typically, except trifluralin (approximately 280 ng/l), which is less susceptible to ionization under atmospheric pressure conditions. At an enriched water volume of 10 ml, the whole SPE-HPLC-MS/MS procedure requires less than 14 min. The method was successfully applied to the analysis of drinking and surface water samples taken from several sampling sites around the city of Leipzig, Germany. Concentrations measured (maximum: 16 ng/l simazine in river water) were far below the concentration limits scheduled by law.