Stability of pesticides stored on polymeric solid-phase extraction cartridges

Stability of organochlorine pesticides during storage in water and loaded SPE disks containing sediment

With regard to the Water Framework Directive (WFD) and the required investigation of the whole water sample including suspended particulate matter (SPM), a storage stability study was conducted to determine the suitable storage time and conditions of 21 organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) spiked in water samples and pre-concentrated on solid-phase extraction disks (SPE disks). Furthermore, this work demonstrates the behaviour of three different certified sediment reference materials (CRMs) contaminated with OCPs in water samples as well as loaded on SPE disks under different temperature conditions and storage time periods. Extracts collected on SPE disks were stored for 3, 14 and 30 days at both 4 °C and -18 °C in darkness covered in (a) freezer bags and (b) aluminum foil. With few exceptions the results of these tests demonstrate stability of OCPs up to 30 days at -18 °C. The recoveries for most substances range between 84% and 133%. Furthermore, the stability of OCPs in water samples additionally spiked with CRM up to 500 mg and stored at a temperature of 4 °C in darkness up to 56 days was investigated. The addition of sodium azide enhanced the stability of some substances during storage, especially the endosulfans (I, II) but most substances were stable regardless of sodium azide addition over the entire storage period. An important conclusion of this study is that the storage of loaded SPE disks is an appropriate alternative to storing water samples.

Survey regarding the occurrence of selected organic micropollutants in the groundwaters of overseas departments

To collect a complete dataset regarding the occurrence of organic substances in groundwater, this study presents the examination of 66 organic contaminants in the groundwater of overseas departments, including pesticides, pharmaceutical compounds, hormones and some industrial substances. The selective and sensitive analytical methods are described. These techniques begin with solid-phase extraction (SPE) followed by analysis using liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-ToF-MS). The paper summarises the analytical results from 40 sampling points collected during two campaigns in Guadeloupe, Martinique, Reunion, Mayotte and Guiana, representing 80 samples. Of the 66 target substances, 36 were determined at least once. Among the most frequently detected are bisphenol A (frequency, 96%; max., 7,400 ng/L), caffeine (frequency, 91%; max., 1,240 ng/L), pentachlorophenol (frequency, 55%; max., 418 ng/L), and carbamazepine (frequency, 56%; max., 22 ng/L). The results do not put in evidence that the origin of the sample or climatic characteristics of these regions influence the dilution and release of micropollutants.

Time-dependent integrity during storage of natural surface water samples for the trace analysis of pharmaceutical products, feminizing hormones and pesticides

Monitoring and analysis of trace contaminants such as pharmaceuticals and pesticides require the preservation of the samples before they can be quantified using the appropriate analytical methods. Our objective is to determine the sample shelf life to insure proper quantification of ultratrace contaminants. To this end, we tested the stability of a variety of pharmaceutical products including caffeine, natural steroids, and selected pesticides under refrigerated storage conditions. The analysis was performed using multi-residue methods using an on-line solid-phase extraction combined with liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (SPE-LC-MS/MS) in the selected reaction monitoring mode. After 21 days of storage, no significant difference in the recoveries was observed compared to day 0 for pharmaceutical products, while for pesticides, significant losses occurred for DIA and simazine after 10 days (14% and 17% reduction respectively) and a statistically significant decrease in the recovery was noted for cyanazine (78% disappearance). However, the estrogen and progestogen steroids were unstable during storage. The disappearance rates obtained after 21 days of storage vary from 63 to 72% for the feminizing hormones. Overall, pharmaceuticals and pesticides seem to be stable for refrigerated storage for up to about 10 days (except cyanazine) and steroidal hormones can be quite sensitive to degradation and should not be stored for more than a few days.

Degradation of fenamiphos in soils collected from different geographical regions: the influence of soil properties and climatic conditions

The persistence of fenamiphos (nematicide) in five soils collected from different geographical regions such as Australia, Ecuador and India under three temperature regimes (18, 25 and 37 degrees C) simulating typical environmental conditions was studied. The effect of soil properties (soil pH, temperature and microbial biomass) on the degradation of fenamiphos was determined. The rate of degradation increased with increase in temperature. Fenamiphos degradation was higher at 37 degrees C than at 25 and 18 degrees C (except under alkaline pH). The degradation pathway differed in different soils. Fenamiphos sulfoxide (FSO) was identified as the major degradation product in all the soils. Fenamiphos sulfone (FSO2), and the corresponding phenols: fenamiphos phenol (FP), fenamiphos sulfoxide phenol (FSOP) and fenamiphos sulfone phenol (FSO2P) were also detected. The degradation of fenamiphos was faster in the alkaline soils, followed by neutral and acidic soils. Under sterile conditions, the dissipation of the pesticide was slower than in the non-sterile soils suggesting microbial role in the pesticide degradation. The generation of new knowledge on fenamiphos degradation patterns under different environmental conditions is important to achieve better pesticide risk management.

Use of coacervates for the on-site extraction/preservation of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and benzalkonium surfactants

The suitability of coacervates for the preservation of organic pollutants after their extraction from water samples was investigated for the first time. Acid-induced sodium dodecanesulfonic acid (SDSA) micelle-based coacervates were selected for this purpose. Their capacity to preserve benzalkonium homologue (C(12), C(14) and C(16)) surfactants (BASs) and different polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) [benzo(a)pyrene (BaP), benzo(b)fluoranthene (BbF), benzo(k)fluoranthene (BkF), benzo(ghi)perylene (BghiP), benzo(a)anthracene (BaA) and indene(1,2,3-c-d)pyrene (IP)] was investigated. BASs and PAHs were efficiently extracted by the coacervate by formation of mixed aggregates and hydrophobic interactions, respectively. Their stability into the coacervate was investigated under three temperature conditions (room temperature, 4 degrees C and -20 degrees C) and two hydrochloric acid concentrations (3.75 M and 4.2 M), which was used to induce coacervation. No losses were observed during at least 3 months at the different experimental conditions tested. The increase of the temperature up to 35 degrees C for a month did not affect the stability of the target compounds. No influence of the water matrix (distilled, river or wastewater) on the stabilization of BASs and PAHs was observed. The high-stabilizing capacity of the coacervate for the target compounds and its low volume make easy the transport and storage of analytes.

Solid-phase extraction combined with high-performance liquid chromatography-atmospheric pressure chemical ionization-mass spectrometry analysis of pesticides in water: method performance and application in a reconnaissance survey of residues in drinking water in Greater Cairo, Egypt

Monitoring of water resources for pesticide residues is often needed to ensure that pesticide use does not adversely impact the quality of public water supplies or the environment. In many rural areas and throughout much of the developing world, monitoring is often constrained by lack of testing facilities; thus, collection of samples and shipment to centralized laboratories for analysis is required. The portability, ease of use, and potential to enhance analyte stability make solid-phase extraction (SPE) an attractive technique for handling water samples prior to their shipment. We describe performance of an SPE method targeting a structurally diverse mixture of 25 current-use pesticides and two common degradates in samples of raw and filtered drinking water collected in Greater Cairo, Egypt. SPE was completed in a field laboratory in Egypt, and cartridges were shipped to the United States for elution and high-performance liquid chromatography-atmospheric pressure chemical ionization-mass spectrometry analysis. Quantitative and reproducible recovery of 23 of 27 compounds (average = 96%; percent relative standard deviation = 21%) from matrix spikes (1 microg L-1 per component) prepared in the field and from deionized water fortified similarly in the analytical laboratory was obtained. Concurrent analysis of unspiked samples identified four parent compounds and one degradate in drinking water samples. No significant differences were observed between raw and filtered samples. Residue levels in all cases were below drinking water and "harm to aquatic-life" thresholds, indicating that human and ecological risks of pesticide contamination were relatively small; however, the study was limited in scale and scope. Further monitoring is needed to define spatial and temporal variation in residue concentrations. The study has demonstrated the feasibility of performing studies of this type using SPE to extract and preserve samples in the field. The approach should be broadly applicable in many settings.

Feasibility study of a reference material for water chemistry: long term stability of triazine and phenylurea residues stored in vials or on polymeric sorbents

Matrix Reference Materials (MRM) are essential tools for the validation of analytical protocols. Nowadays, there are no such materials for the determination of herbicides in water. So, a feasibility study of a MRM for the analysis of triazines and phenylureas in water was carried out. Different kinds of candidates MRM were prepared: solutions of pesticides diluted in acetonitrile and stored in sealed vials or stored at the dry state after the evaporation of the solvent to dryness, pesticides stored on two different types of polymeric solid-phase extraction (SPE) sorbents after the percolation of drinking or river waters spiked with pesticides. The stability of these candidates MRM stored at various temperatures (room temperature, 0.5 degrees C or -18 degrees C) was studied over a period of approximately 1 year. Two different levels of concentration were studied for each kind of material. During the storage, some samples of each different MRM candidate were monthly analyzed by liquid chromatography. Results showed that, among the candidate materials, some of them presented satisfactory enough stability to consider a further certification. They were either pesticides in solution in sealed vials or pesticides stored on cartridges after the percolation of spiked water samples. However, it was shown that these different MRM candidates had to be stored at a temperature lower than 0.5 degrees C.

Stability of benzalkonium surfactants on hemimicelle-based solid-phase extraction cartridges

The capability of hemimicelle-based solid-phase extraction cartridges for the preservation of organic compounds after their concentration from water samples was investigated for the first time. The approach is illustrated by studying the stability of benzalkonium homologue (C12, C14 and C16) surfactants (BAS) on monolayers of dodecyl sulphate (SDS) hemimicelles formed on alumina. The stability study included storage of cartridges at room temperature, at 4 and -20 degrees C, during a period of up to 3 months. The influence of water matrix components was also investigated from parallel experiments using spiked distilled, river and wastewater samples. Complete recovery of BAS was obtained for all storage conditions tested. Recoveries were independent on the alkyl chain length of BAS homologues and water matrix. The SPE of BAS on the SDS hemimicelles had a strong stabilizing effect for the target compounds and their analysis can be accomplished after at least 3 months without the necessity of special storage conditions for cartridges. Because of the lack of data, an additional stability study was carried out for BAS in an aqueous matrix using traditional preservation methods such as acidification (pH 2)/refrigeration, addition of formaldehyde (5%)/refrigeration, and freezing (-20 degrees C). Only combination of chemical addition (e.g. nitric acid or formaldehyde)/refrigeration was found effective to preserve BAS in the short term (e.g. for a week), then losses up to 40% were observed for these target compounds after a month.

Determination of phenyl-N-methylcarbamates and their hydrolysis products in water, using solid-phase extraction and reversed-phase liquid chromatography with UV and electrospray mass spectrometric detection

In this study, eight phenyl-N-methylcarbamates (PNMCs) were considered. Reversed-phase LC was set up for UV and mass spectrometry (MS) detection mode. Gradient elution was used, and the mobile phase was composed of acetonitrile and water. UV–vis was performed at 220 nm. The method was tested with different reversed-phase columns. Comparison between chromatographic parameters: retention time (tR), resolution (RS), and selectivity (α) was established. Hydrolysis kinetics of three of the PNMCs were reported. The major hydrolysis products were determined by LC–UV, and the effect of pH on hydrolysis was also studied. Also, chromatographic separation of a mixture of PNMCs and four of their hydrolysis products was carried out. The preconcentration of 12 studied solutes was realized by solid-phase extraction. C18 extraction cartridges of 1 g were used to extract solutes from a 100 mL volume of tap and surface water spiked at 10 µg/L. The recoveries were, respectively, between 68–86% and 62–83% with relative a standard deviation of less than 11%. Limits of detection (LODs) and limits of quantitation (LOQs) ranged, respectively, from 1–4 µg/L and from 4–10 µg/L. Since standard UV detection does not provide adequate selectivity for water samples, an electrospray (ES)-MS instrument equipped with a triple quadrupole mass filter was used. MS data acquisition was performed by a time-scheduled, selected-ion monitoring (SIM) program. Limits of quantitation gave values between 0.1–0.5 µg/L.Key words: phenyl-N-methylcarbamates, water analysis, solid-phase extraction, LC–UV–vis, LC–ES-MS.

Solid-phase trapping of solutes for further chromatographic or electrophoretic analysis

Because of its simplicity, speed and effectiveness, solid-phase extraction (SPE) has become the preferred technique for concentration of selected analytes prior to chromatographic or electrophoretic analysis. In this review the historical development of SPE is briefly traced. Then the principles of SPE are reviewed in some detail. Numerous references are given on the format, sorbents, elution conditions, online techniques and automation with special emphasis on relatively recent developments. The principles and recent advances in solid-phase microextraction (SPME) are also reviewed. The final section on selected recent applications includes an extensive list of references to work published within the last three years. Future trends and developments are discussed briefly.

Solid-phase extraction coupling to capillary electrophoresis with emphasis on environmental analysis

This article reviews the status of solid-phase extraction (SPE) coupled with capillary electrophoresis (CE). It focuses on some of the organic pollutants which have captured the interest of analytical chemists--phenols, surfactants, dyes, polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), aromatic and aliphatic amines, aromatic acids and aromatic sulfonic acids--and, in particular, on monitoring pesticides from different sources. It shows that the coupling of SPE to CE has considerable potential in the analysis of environmental pollutants.

Recent developments in polymer-based sorbents for solid-phase extraction

A review with 136 references on the principles and recent developments in the solid-phase extraction based on polymer sorbents is presented. New polymer-based materials, chromatographic modes, experimental configurations are described and their advantages for a rapid sample preparation of certain classes of compounds with different functional groups are discussed and compared to silica-based sorbents.

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.

Simultaneous determination of antifouling herbicides in marina water samples by on-line solid-phase extraction followed by liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry

Solid-phase extraction (SPE) coupled on-line with either liquid chromatography-diode array detection (LC-DAD) or liquid chromatography-atmospheric pressure chemical ionization mass spectrometry was applied to the simultaneous analysis of several antifouling herbicides such as diuron, TCMTB (2-thiocyanomethylthiobenzothiazole), Irgarol and chlorothalonil in seawater samples. SPE was carried out on polymeric cartridges (PLRP-s) after the percolation of 100 ml of seawater sample, with recoveries ranging from 96 to 111% for the antifouling compounds. LC-MS detection was used in negative and positive ion mode. In positive ion mode, additional structural information for diuron and Irgarol was obtained by increasing the fragmentor voltage, thus permitting the unequivocal identification of these compounds in environmental waters. Method detection limits were in the range of 0.005 microg/l. This methodology was also compared to LC-DAD in terms of selectivity and sensitivity. Finally, the method was evaluated for the analysis of environmental seawater samples, from the Ebre Delta area and Masnou marina, in Catalonia (Spain).

Photodegradation and stability of chlorothalonil in water studied by solid-phase disk extraction, followed by gas chromatographic techniques

Photodegradation of chlorothalonil was studied in deionized and ground water with sunlight and Suntest apparatus, with and without FeCl3/H2O2 and TiO2/H2O2. After irradiation of the water samples spiked at 28-100 micrograms/l of chlorothalonil, the water solutions were preconcentrated using solid-phase disk extraction with C18 and analyzed by gas chromatography-electron capture and gas chromatography-mass spectrometric detection. The degradation products identified by GC-MS were: trichloro-1,3-dicyanobenzene, dichloro-1,3-dicyanobenzene and chloro-1,3-dicyanobenzene. The degradation kinetics followed a first order reaction and the R.S.D. of rate constants, for n = 3, varied from 2 to 14%. Halflives varied between 0.7 and 101 h. The stability of chlorothalonil on C18 Empore disks was also investigated at 20 degrees C, 4 degrees C and -20 degrees C for periods of up to 3 months. Chlorothalonil was not degraded on C18 Empore disks.