Evaluation of new polymeric sorbents with high specific surface areas using an on-line solid-phase extraction-liquid chromatographic system for the trace-level determination of polar pesticides

Simultaneous microextraction of pesticides from wastewater using optimized μSPEed and μQuEChERS techniques for food contamination analysis

Food contamination with pesticides poses significant risks to consumer safety and undermines confidence in food supply chains. Detecting pesticides in food samples is a challenging task that requires efficient extraction techniques. This study aims to compare and validate two microextraction techniques, μSPEed and μQuEChERS-dSPE, for the simultaneous extraction of eight pesticides (paraquat, thiabendazole, asulam, picloram, ametryn, atrazine, linuron, and cymoxanil) from wastewater samples. A good analytical performance was obtained for both methodologies, with selectivity, linearity in the range 0.5-150 mg L^-1 with coefficients of determination up to 0.9979, limits of detection (LODs) and limits of quantification (LOQs) ranging from 0.02 to 0.05 mg L^-1 and from 0.06 to 0.17 mg L^-1, respectively, precision below 14.7 mg L^-1, and recoveries from wastewater samples in the range of 66.1-99.9%. The developed methodologies are simpler, faster, and require less sample and solvent volumes than conventional methodologies, having a lower impact on the environment. Nevertheless, the μSPEed approach was found to be more efficient, easier to perform, and with a higher greener profile. This study highlights the potential of microextraction techniques for the analysis of pesticide residues in food and environmental samples. Overall, it presents a fast and efficient method for the analysis of pesticides in wastewater samples, which can be useful for monitoring and controlling pesticide contamination in the environment.

A molecularly imprinted sensor with enzymatic enhancement of electrochemiluminescence of quantum dots for ultratrace clopyralid determination

A new molecularly imprinted polymer electrochemiluminescence (ECL) sensor was developed for the detection of clopyralid (CPD) based on enzyme-biocatalyzed amplification. CdTe quantum dots were immobilized on the surface of an electrode by reaction with p-aminothiophenol preadsorbed on the electrode. Then a molecularly imprinted film was formed by electrochemical polymerization of o-phenylenediamine in the presence of CPD on the CdTe-modified gold electrode. During the analytical cycle, horseradish peroxidase (HRP)-labeled CPD was replaced by CPD in the sample. The amount of HRP on the molecularly imprinted polymer electrode decreased, and then less H₂O₂ was catalytically decomposed. Subsequently, the ECL intensity of the CdTe-H₂O₂ system was enhanced. There was a good linear relationship between ECL intensity and the concentration of CPD in the range from 2.0 × 10^-11 to 2.5 × 10^-10 mol/L and in the range from 2.5 × 10^-10 to 3.5 × 10^-8 mol/L. The detection limit was 4.1 × 10^-12 mol/L. The sensor was applied to determine CPD in vegetable samples. Graphical abstract A molecularly imprinted electrochemiluminescence sensor was fabricated for ultratrace clopyralid determination. The sensitivity was significantly improved with the enhancement of the ECL intensity of quantum dot via the enzymatic reaction of HRP.

Development and validation of a multiresidue method for the analysis of more than 500 pesticides and drugs in water based on on-line and liquid chromatography coupled to high resolution mass spectrometry

Screening of a large number of emerging pollutants is highly desirable for the control of water quality. In this respect, a novel, fully automated contaminant screening method based on an integrated sample preconcentration and liquid chromatography coupled to high resolution mass spectrometry (SPE-UHPLC-HRMS) has been developed. The optimal chromatographic column and experimental conditions allowing the retention and subsequent elution of the maximum number of analytes were defined. Liquid chromatography and Q-exactive (Orbitrap™) parameters were optimized to obtain the best separation of molecules of interest, and the lowest detection limits. Due to the large amount of data to compare, a script written in R language was developed to evaluate the quality of the data generated by the comparison of 14 experimental conditions. The developed method enables the simultaneous semi quantitative analysis of 539 compounds (pesticides and drug residues), in 36 min with only 5 mL of water. Method validation was achieved through studies of repeatability, selectivity, linearity and matrix effect. Application to 20 tap water samples collected in and around Paris showed the presence of 34 different compounds all with concentrations below 0.1 μg/L, the European Union limit for drinking water. Pesticides and transformation products frequently found in water resources such as atrazine and its metabolites, hexazinone, oxadixyl, propazine and simazine were detected. Drug residues such as valsartan and carbamazepine, usually not monitored, were also found. The next step will be to assess the ability of this method to highlight the presence of unexpected contaminants not present in our database.

Rapid narrow band elution for on-line SPE using a novel solvent plug injection technique

Determination of trace constituents in biological and environmental samples usually requires a pre-concentration step. While solid-phase extraction (SPE) has been widely used, it is slow, labor intensive and adversely affected by analytical errors from handling. On-line SPE eliminates some of the flaws but often suffers from solvent compatibility problems with the subsequent chromatography separation. In this study, we are presenting a technical solution for overcoming some of these compatibility issues, by utilizing a fully automated, focused SPE sample transfer technique utilizing narrow-band solvent plugs, for seamless hyphenation with high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) or flow injection mass spectrometry (MS). A wide range of pharmaceutical compounds was studied in different sample matrices. Short plugs of high elution strength solvent were generated by means of an electrically actuated sample loop and enrichment and transfer steps monitored using on-line SPE-MS. The impact of the solvent plugs on chromatographic separation was studied using hyphenated SPE-LC-MS. By carefully examining elution profiles of solvent plugs of different compositions, optimum conditions for quantitative elution within well-defined volumes were found for all substances. In addition, the highly focused elution bands resulted in excellent retention time and peak area reproducibilities when injected on-line onto HPLC columns. Finally, to demonstrate proof-of-principle, the fully integrated on-line SPE-LC-MS system was applied to the analysis of spiked urine and river water samples.

Automated On-Line Renewable Solid-Phase Extraction-Liquid Chromatography Exploiting Multisyringe Flow Injection-Bead Injection Lab-on-Valve Analysis

In this paper, the third generation of flow injection analysis, also named the lab-on-valve (LOV) approach, is proposed for the first time as a front end to high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) for on-line solid-phase extraction (SPE) sample processing by exploiting the bead injection (BI) concept. The proposed microanalytical system based on discontinuous programmable flow features automated packing (and withdrawal after single use) of a small amount of sorbent (<5 mg) into the microconduits of the flow network and quantitative elution of sorbed species into a narrow band (150 microL of 95% MeOH). The hyphenation of multisyringe flow injection analysis (MSFIA) with BI-LOV prior to HPLC analysis is utilized for on-line postextraction treatment to ensure chemical compatibility between the eluate medium and the initial HPLC gradient conditions. This circumvents the band-broadening effect commonly observed in conventional on-line SPE-based sample processors due to the low eluting strength of the mobile phase. The potential of the novel MSFI-BI-LOV hyphenation for on-line handling of complex environmental and biological samples prior to reversed-phase chromatographic separations was assessed for the expeditious determination of five acidic pharmaceutical residues (viz., ketoprofen, naproxen, bezafibrate, diclofenac, and ibuprofen) and one metabolite (viz., salicylic acid) in surface water, urban wastewater, and urine. To this end, the copolymeric divinylbenzene-co-n-vinylpyrrolidone beads (Oasis HLB) were utilized as renewable sorptive entities in the micromachined unit. The automated analytical method features relative recovery percentages of >88%, limits of detection within the range 0.02-0.67 ng mL(-1), and coefficients of variation <11% for the column renewable mode and gives rise to a drastic reduction in operation costs ( approximately 25-fold) as compared to on-line column switching systems.

Selective solid-phase extraction using molecularly imprinted polymer for the analysis of polar organophosphorus pesticides in water and soil samples

An analytical methodology for the analysis of four polar organophophorus pesticides (monocrotophos, mevinphos, phosphamidon, omethoate) in water and soil samples incorporating a molecularly imprinted solid-phase extraction (MISPE) process using a monocrotophos-imprinted polymer was developed. Binding study demonstrated that the polymer showed excellent affinity and high selectivity to monocrotophos. The MISPE procedure including the clean-up step to remove any interferences was optimized. The accuracy and selectivity of the MISPE process developed were verified using a non-imprinted (blank) polymer and a classical ENVI-18 cartridge as the SPE matrix during control experiments. The use of MISPE improved the accuracy and precision of the GC method and lowered the limit of detection. The recoveries of four polar organophosphorus pesticides (OPPs) extracted from 1 L of river water at a 100 ng/L spike level were in the range of 77.5-99.1%. The recoveries of organophosphorus pesticides extracted from a 5-g soil sample at the 100 microg/kg level were in the range of 79.3-93.5%. The limit of detection varied from 10 to 32 ng/L in water and from 12 to 34 microg/kg in soil samples. The molecularly imprinted polymer (MIP) enabled the selective extraction of four organophosphorus pesticides successfully from water and soil samples, demonstrating the potential of molecularly imprinted solid-phase extraction for rapid, selective, and cost-effective sample pretreatment.

Chemically modified polymeric sorbents for sample preconcentration

Solid-phase extraction is an attractive alternative in sample preparation because it overcomes many drawbacks of liquid-liquid extraction and makes on-line determination possible by hyphenation with chromatographic techniques. Driven by the need for more effective and more selective sorbents, advances in solid-phase extraction include the development of new materials. This paper describes different types of chemically modified sorbents for the solid-phase extraction of compounds from aqueous samples. Chemical introduction of different functional groups into a polymeric resin improves the efficiency of solid-phase extraction by providing better surface contact with the aqueous samples; also, these sorbents have a greater capacity than the typical solid-phase materials for polar compounds have. The most important new sorbents are the chemically modified resins based on styrene-divinylbenzene copolymers. Preparation of these new sorbents is described, and advantages and drawbacks of off-line procedures and on-line procedures are also discussed. Applications for off-line and on-line chromatographic determinations of polar compounds are presented.

Comparison of different sorbent materials for on-line solid-phase extraction with liquid chromatography-atmospheric pressure chemical ionization mass spectrometry of phenols

On-line solid-phase extraction (SPE) was interfaced to liquid chromatography with atmospheric pressure chemical ionization mass spectrometry (HPLC-APCI-MS) for the determination of US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) phenols. The system, allowing fully automated operation, was used to evaluate different SPE cartridge materials and dimensions. Six different SPE materials (C18 HD, Polymer Labs PLRP-s, Hamilton PRP-1, Hysphere GP, Hysphere SH and Waters Oasis) were tested. Criteria for their comparison were first the recovery for the different phenols and its reproducibility, but also chromatographically relevant items like peakshape in the on-line elution mode. High recoveries and good relative standard deviations were obtained particularly for the newer, strongly retaining SPE materials that have become commercially available recently (the Hysphere materials and Waters Oasis) compared to the well known silica-based and weaker polymeric adsorbents like PLRP-s and PRP-1. These advantages are, however, traded in for good chromatographic peakshape, since the stronger adsorbents give rise to notable peak broadening in on-line elution. This is particularly true when using APCI-MS detection which on the one hand offers excellent selectivity and sensitivity, but imposes additional restrictions on the mobile phase composition in order not to suppress the response significantly. The influence of these parameters on the on-line-SPE-HPLC-MS determination of EPA phenols is discussed and present limitations are pointed out.

Identification and quantification of 77 pesticides in groundwater using solid phase coupled to liquid-liquid microextraction and reversed-phase liquid chromatography

This paper describes a method for the extraction, separation, identification, and quantification of 77 pesticides (neutral, acidic, and basic) including some s-triazine metabolites. The method is appropriate for organically (e.g. with humic acids) highly loaded groundwater samples. A comparative study of a pH-controlled mixed solid phase (LiChroprep RP18/LiChrolut EN) extraction with different desorption solvents (acetonitrile or acetonitrile and dichloromethane/methanol) is elaborated. A subsequent liquid-liquid microextraction reduces matrix effects. The pesticides in the sample are separated using RP-HPLC, detected, and identified by diode array. The efficiency is illustrated on a natural groundwater sample from a phreatic aquifer.

Solid-phase extraction for multiresidue analysis of organic contaminants in water

To overcome the limitations of the detection systems associated with gas or liquid chromatography, a sample pretreatment is required with the objective to provide a sample fraction enriched with all the target analytes and as free as possible from other matrix components. There is now no doubt that solid-phase extraction (SPE) has now become the method of choice for carrying out simultaneously the extraction and concentration of many compounds in aqueous samples. Many recent applications of SPE to multiresidue analysis are reviewed with an emphasis on the importance of the choice of the sorbent and of the sample volume. SPE is particularly well adapted to multiresidue analysis including compounds from a wide range of polarity or characterized by various physico-chemical properties. However, SPE is not completely free from practical problems inherent to the nature of the compounds or to the coupling to the chromatographic systems. Many examples are reported to illustrate these problems which can in most cases be circumvented. New developments in SPE are also reviewed.

Ultra-trace-level determination of polar pesticides and their transformation products in surface and estuarine water samples using column liquid chromatography-electrospray tandem mass spectrometry

A method is developed for the determination of polar pesticides and their transformation products [atrazine, deethylatrazine, deisopropylatrazine, hydroxyatrazine, diuron, 3,4-dichlorophenylmethylurea, 3,4-dichlorophenylurea (DPU), monuron, bentazone, anthranil-isopropylamide, chloridazon, metolachlor] in surface, estuarine and sea water samples at the low ng/l level. Solid-phase extraction is combined off-line with column liquid chromatography-electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometric detection (LC-ESI-MS-MS). The applicability of two solid-phase materials, i.e., LiChrolut EN cartridges and graphitized carbon black extraction disks, is evaluated. The influence of the organic solvent used in gradient LC, as well as the amount of co-extracted humic material on the ESI process is studied. The eluotropic strength of the organic solvent was found to have a distinct effect on the sensitivity of ESI-MS if coupled with LC gradient separations. Methanol gave much better results than acetonitrile and phenylurea compounds are more susceptible to solvent changes than triazines. Co-extracted humic material causes signal suppression in ESI-MS-MS detection. The degree of suppression depends upon the sample pH and the nature of the samples, i.e., surface or estuarine water. Detection limits in LC-ESI-MS-MS ranged from 0.2 to 2 ng/l, with the exception of DPU (8 ng/l). The applicability of the procedure was demonstrated by analyzing surface and estuarine water.

Solid-phase extraction: method development, sorbents, and coupling with liquid chromatography

The objective of this review is to provide updated information about the most important features of the new solid-phase extraction (SPE) materials, their interaction mode and their potential for modern SPE. First, the recent developments are given in formats, phases, automation, high throughput purpose and set-up of new types of procedures. Emphasis is then placed on the large choice of sorbents for trapping analytes over a wide range of polarities, such as highly cross-linked copolymers, functionalized copolymers, graphitized carbons or some specific n-alkylsilicas. The method development is given which is based on prediction from liquid chromatographic retention data or solvation parameters in order to determine the main parameters of any sequence (type and amount of sorbent, sample volume which can be applied without loss of recovery, composition and volume of the clean-up solution, composition and volume of the desorption solution). Obtaining extracts free from matrix interferences in a few steps--one step when possible--is now included in the development of SPE procedure. New selective phases such as mixed-mode and restricted access matrix sorbents or emerging phases such as immunosorbents or molecularly imprinted polymers are reviewed. Selectivity obtained by combining two sorbents is described with the use of ion-exchange or ion-pair sorbents. Special attention is given to complete automation of the SPE sequence with its on-line coupling with liquid chromatography followed by various detection modes. This represents a fast, modern and reliable approach to trace analysis. Many examples illustrate the various features of modern SPE which are discussed in this review. They have been selected in both biological and environmental areas.

Trace analysis of pesticides by gas chromatography

The analysis of pesticides is relevant to both food quality and the environment. Many laboratories are occupied with the analysis of pesticides in food, water or soil. Capillary gas chromatography is the technique most widely used in pesticide analysis. In present laboratory practice it serves as a screening method for over 300 pesticides. In this review we describe the role of gas chromatography as an analytical tool in combination with currently used or recently developed sample preparation techniques.

Automated determination of phenylcarbamate herbicides in environmental waters by on-line trace enrichment and reversed-phase liquid chromatography-diode array detection

A fully automated liquid chromatographic method using on-line trace-enrichment, gradient elution and diode array detection is described for the trace-level determination of several phenylcarbamate herbicides, such as carbetamide, propham, desmedipham, phenmedipham, chlorbufam and chlorpropham, in environmental water samples. In this work, two different enrichment pre-columns have been assayed, a 5.8 x 4.6 mm I.D., 10 microns ODS Prelute cartridge and a 10 x 2 mm I.D. cartridge filled with 10 microns PRP-1 polymer, both coupled to a 150 x 4.6 mm I.D. analytical column filled with 5 microns ODS. Using the C18 pre-column, up to 50 ml of water sample could be percolated without peak broadening of any compound. However, a lack of reproducibility was observed in the case of carbetamide, the most polar analyte, after performing recovery experiments by percolating drinking and surface water samples spiked at several levels (0.5 and 4 micrograms l-1). On the other hand, the PRP-1 pre-column allowed the enrichment up to 100 ml of water sample with satisfactory results for every compound, including carbetamide. The procedure was validated by recovery experiments in environmental water samples spiked at 0.2 and 1 microgram l-1 yielding average recoveries between 84-108% with relative standard deviations in the range 2-12%. Detection limits as low as 0.04 microgram l-1 were achieved. It was observed that desmedipham and phenmedipham degraded rapidly in the environmental water samples as showed the degradation studies performed along 24 h in drinking and surface waters spiked at 4 micrograms l-1. Although the standard mixture, prepared in HPLC water, was stable for around one week, in the environmental water matrices more than 95% of each herbicide degraded after 6 h, and new chromatographic peaks corresponding to the degradation products were detected.

Comparison of different sorbents for on-line liquid-solid extraction followed by high-performance liquid chromatographic determination of nitrogen-containing pesticides

LiChrolut EN [poly(styrene-divinylbenzene), PSDVB], Carbograph (graphitized carbon black, GCB), Isolute CN (cyanopropylsilica), Isolute C2 (ethylsilica), and LiChrospher RP18 (octadecylsilica) were studied for on-line solid-phase extraction of twelve nitrogen containing pesticides from water. Determination (UV 210 nm) was performed with a Spherisorb C8 analytical column and an acetonitrile-water gradient. The mean recoveries from 50 ml ranged from 83% for RP18 to 44% for GCB, and decreased in the following order: RP18, CN, LiChrolut EN, C2, and GCB. GCB showed poor recoveries due to incomplete desorption with the acetonitrile-water gradient used, and memory effects were detected. Backflush was needed to elute selected pesticides from GCB and from LiChrolut EN. Breakthrough volumes were 50-100 ml for most selected pesticides with silica-based phases, whereas LiChrolut EN allowed larger sample volumes without observable losses.

Coupled-column liquid chromatography applied to the trace-level determination of triazine herbicides and some of their metabolites in water samples

In the present work, a study is reported of the potential of coupled-column liquid chromatography (LC) applied to the determination of triazine residues in environmental water samples. For this purpose, two different techniques have been compared: on-line trace enrichment followed by LC (SPE-LC) and coupled-column liquid chromatography (LC-LC). First, a completely automated liquid chromatographic method based on on-line trace enrichment in a prepacked precolumn and using diode array detection has been developed for the simultaneous trace-level determination of six triazine herbicides (simazine, cyanazine, atrazine, terbumeton, terbuthylazine, and terbutryn) and the main atrazine metabolites (desisopropylatrazine, desethylatrazine, and hydroxyatrazine). After preconcentration parameters were optimized by testing two different sorbents (C18 and PRP-1) in three cartridges with different dimensions, a sample volume of 100 mL was selected in order to achieve maximal solute preconcentration. Detection limits lower than 0.1 microgram.L-1 were obtained even for the most polar analyte (desisopropylatrazine), which presented recoveries of around 30%. The method was validated by means of recovery experiments in groundwater and surface water samples spiked with the analytes at different levels (0.2-2 micrograms.L-1). Afterward, the procedure was successfully applied in a program for monitoring of triazine residues in surface water carried out in a wet area of Castellón, Spain. Different triazine herbicides such as simazine, terbumeton, terbuthylazine, and terbutryn were identified and quantified. The identity of these compounds was confirmed by their absorption UV spectra and by GC/MS analysis. Finally, two rapid, sensitive, and selective procedures, previously developed in our laboratory for the trace-level determination of triazine compounds, both based on LC-LC, were compared with the former procedure. The SPE-LC approach showed a considerable improvement in the global sensitivity at the expense of a decrease in selectivity as well as in sample throughput.

Multiresidue analysis of pesticides using new laminar extraction disks and liquid chromatography and application to the French priority list

The national French lists of priority pesticides to be monitored in drinking and/or surface water contain various pesticides with a wide range of physico-chemical properties and can be modified on a regional scale with the addition of other pesticides, depending on local agricultural usage. A multiresidue extraction method is presented using new disk formats engineered for high throughput that are particularly well adapted to the extraction of compounds from high volumes of dirty samples. However, because of the occurrence of very polar and very apolar compounds in the lists, two procedures are required for the extraction step. Divinylbenzene disks were used to extract the more polar compounds, as well as the moderately polar or acidic ones. For apolar pesticides, a C18 silica disk was used, and 10% methanol was added to the water sample before percolation in order to avoid adsorption on the flasks and connecting tubes. Since 1 l of surface water is extracted in less than 5 min without previous filtration using these new laminar disks, the percolation time is no longer a limiting factor in the analysis scheme of surface water samples containing suspended matter. The sample volume can be easily increased in order to reach lower detection limits, provided that the extraction conditions have been optimized in order to minimize the amount of co-extracted and interfering substances. A considerable decrease in the effect of the humic and fulvic substances was achieved using divinylbenzene disks, which allows the samples to be handled at pH 6, for the polar pesticides. Moreover, the necessary addition of 10% methanol in the samples for the extraction of the apolar ones also considerably decreases the amount of co-extracted analytes. The time of the whole sample preparation sequence, i.e., conditioning of the disks, sample extraction, sample clean-up and desorption, is achieved within 10 min for six simultaneous samples. Detection limits in the range 0.01-0.05 microgram l-1 are easily obtained for most pesticides contained in the national lists from 1 l of real surface water samples. The two procedures described in this work allow the handling of any compounds having a water-octanol constant, log Kow, in the range 1-6.

Effect of the various parameters governing solid-phase microextraction for the trace-determination of pesticides in water

The parameters governing solid-phase microextraction (SPME) are investigated, with emphasis on the determination of the partition coefficients, K, and their use to predict the selection of a fibre, depending on the respective characteristics of the fibres and the analytes. Film thickness and stability of the compounds can interfere with the determination of K values. The time profile curves were determined for twelve pesticides having a wide range of water solubilities and polarities and using four fibres (polydimethylsiloxane, polydimethylsiloxane-divinylbenzene, Carbowax-divinylbenzene and polyacrylate). Although the affinity order was different for the four coatings, no correlation was found between the respective characteristics of the fibres and solutes. The two fibres containing divinylbenzene were shown to have the highest affinities and the polydimethylsiloxane had the lowest affinity. The polyacrylate fibre which is the more polar commercial fibre did not provide the highest affinities for the more polar and water-soluble analytes. The important parameters for quantitative analysis have been evaluated. The calibration curves were similar when one analyte of interest was present on its own in a drinking water sample, or when eleven other pesticides were present at the same concentration or when much higher concentrations of other analytes were present in the sample. Linearity was obtained over a wide range of concentrations in drinking water samples. Detection limits are in agreement with European regulatory levels in drinking water for most of the analytes using solid-phase microextraction-gas chromatography-nitrogen-phosphorus detection (SPME-GC-NPD). In contaminated surface water samples, the chromatograms are relatively clean and most of the compounds can be detected at levels lower than 0.5 microgram/l.

Baker's yeast biomass (Saccharomyces cerevisae) for selective on-line trace enrichment and liquid chromatography of polar pesticides in water

Baker's yeast cells (Saccharomices cerevisae) were successfully immobilized onto silica gel and used in the on-line isolation and trace enrichment of desisopropylatrazine, desethylatrazine, hydroxyatrazine, simazine, cyanazine, atrazine, carbaryl, propanil, linuron, and fenamiphos. Since humic and fulvic acids were not coextracted, no cleanup was necessary. The pesticides were spiked at 0.1-1 microgram L-1 in tap water, groundwater, and seawater and were preconcentrated using on-line solid-phase extraction into a yeast immobilized on silica gel precolumn followed by liquid chromatography with diode array detection. All the variables that affect the enrichment step, such as amount of yeast immobilized, dimensions of the precolumn, sample pH, and preconcentration flow rate, were optimized. The degree of selectivity was evaluated by comparing the chromatograms obtained after on-line sample preconcentration on the yeast precolumn with those obtained by on-line solid-phase extraction using a precolumn filled with C18 material. The relative standard deviation for the whole procedure in the determination of the selected pesticides at the 0.3 microgram L-1 concentration level ranged from 1 to 9%, depending on the pesticide and the type of water. Detection limits within the range 0.01-0.5 microgram L-1 were obtained by percolating only 25 mL of water sample without any additional cleanup step.