Determination of herbicide residues in soil in the presence of persistent organochlorine insecticides

Summary A rapid and reproducible gas-chromatographic method has been developed for determination of residues in soil of some widely used herbicides such as trifluralin, metribuzin, alachlor, acetochlor, metolachlor, pendimethalin, simazine, atrazine, prometryne, in the presence of persistent organochlorine insecticides (p,p-DDT, o,p-DDT, p,p-DDE, alpha-HCH, gamma-HCH, heptachlor). Determination of some herbicides by GC/ECD is difficult since their relative retention times on packed columns usually used for pesticide analysis are equal or close to those of some persistent organochlorine insecticides which can still be found almost everywhere, especially in cultivated soils. A 1.8 m column of 3% OV-225 + 5% SE-52 in a ratio of 1.4:0.9 gave good separation of all herbicides and insecticides mentioned. The influence of 6 solvents and solvent systems applied most frequently for soil extraction of pesticide residues on recovery of the compounds under study was examined. Acetonitrile was the most suitable extractant as it rendered highest residue recoveries and minimal amount of co-extractives. Residues of simazine, atrazine, and prometryne were determined in the same extracts by the use of NP-detector and a column of 5% Carbowax 20M. Recoveries of the compounds under study were in the interval of 86–103% without cleanup and 78–94% when cleanup was carriet out. The method can be used in pesticide monitoring of soil as it offers an opportunity for rapid determination of soil applied herbicides and persistent organochlorine insecticides which are some of the most common pollutants in cultivated soils.     

A rapid multi-residue determination method of herbicides in grain by GC-MS-SIM

In this study, a gas chromatography-mass spectrometry method is successfully developed for the determination of 11 herbicide residues (alachlor, acetochlor, butachlor, pretilachlor, metolachlor, dimethenamid, propachlor, napropamid, propanil, atrazine, and metribuzin) in rice and soybeans. The sample is extracted with acetone-water, degreased by liquid-liquid partition, and purified through solid-phase extraction with Florisil. Experiments on 5 fortification concentrations are carried out, and the limit of determination is 0.02 mg/kg. The average recoveries of soybean samples range from 63.3% to 96.0%, and the relative standard deviations are from 2.14% to 11.2%. The average recoveries of rice samples range from 76.8% to 102% and the relative standard deviations are from 2.2% to 9.08%. The results indicate that the method developed is fast, accurate, and easy to operate. It also demonstrates that the method can meet the requirements of simultaneous determination of 11 herbicides in rice and soybeans.     

Screening and determination of pesticides in soil using continuous subcritical water extraction and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry

In the present work the efficiency of water under subcritical conditions for the extraction of pesticides having a broad spectrum of polarities from soils was evaluated. The pesticides under study were carbofuran, hexachlorobenzene, dimethoate, simazine, atrazine, lindane, diazinon, methylparathion, alachlor, aldrin-R, metholachlor, chlorpyrifos, heptachlor epoxide, dieldrin, endrin, 4,4-DDT and metoxichlor. Optimization studies were carried out using a blank soil (Non-Polluted Soil 1, CLN-1, RTC) and a real soil which were previously spiked with the pesticide mixture and aged for 60 days. A laboratory-made aluminum oven with controlled temperature was used to carry out the leaching process with subcritical water, where it is placed a pre-heater and the extraction cell. The following variables were studied, keeping the pressure controlled about 1200 p.s.i.: the extraction temperature, the time of static and dynamic extraction and the flow-rate of water (1 p.s.i. = 6894.76 Pa). The extraction efficiency of the pesticides increases with the temperature trending to the quantitative extraction at temperatures near to 300 degrees C. After the extraction process, the analytes were transferred quantitatively to 5 ml dichloromethane, before the determination by GC-MS. The results indicate that under the optimized conditions mostly of the analytes are extracted quantitatively in 90 min with recoveries quite similar to those obtained by the standard Soxhlet extraction procedure. Alternatively, by using an extraction time of 25 min, the method can be used as screening for all the pesticides, with recoveries depending on their polarity.     

Determination and risk assessment of pesticide residues in lake Amvrakia (W. Greece) after agricultural land use changes in the lake's drainage basin

A monitoring study of pesticides belonging to different chemical families was carried out in Amvrakia lake (West Greece) waters after land use changes in the lake's basin. Based on land-use patterns, nine sampling points were selected. Pesticides were extracted by solid phase extraction (SPE) using Oasis HLB cartridges and analysed by gas chromatographic techniques with flame thermionic and mass-spectra detection. Pesticides detected during the monitoring survey include eight herbicides (alachlor, atrazine, s-metolachlor, pendimethalin, prometryne, propachlor, simazine, trifluralin) and one metabolite (deethyl atrazine) with concentration levels up to 807?ng?L^?1 (recorded for alachlor), eight insecticides (azinphos methyl, chlorpyrifos, chlorpyrifos methyl, diazinon, dimethoate, fenitrothion, malathion, methidathion) with concentration levels up to 490?ng?L^?1 (recorded for azinphos methyl) and six fungicides (benalaxyl, cyproconazole, fenarimol, pyrimethanil, triadimefon, triadimenol) with concentration levels up to 408?ng?L^?1 (recorded for pyrimethanil). More frequently detected pesticides were atrazine, deethyl atrazine, alachlor, azinphos methyl, chlorpyrifos methyl, diazinon and pyrimethanil. The higher concentrations were measured during spring-early summer period, following seasonal application of pesticides and diminished significantly during winter. Littoral sampling stations presented higher pesticide concentration levels and more frequent detection. Aquatic risk assessment was based on the Risk Quotient (RQ?=?MEC/PNEC) deterministic method regarding three trophic levels: algae, aquatic invertebrates and fish. Non-acceptable risk for 10 compounds was observed when maximum concentrations were used. Compliance to EC environmental quality standards is also discussed.     

SPE – Microwave‐assisted extraction coupled system for the extraction of pesticides from water samples

SPE is a commonly applied technique for preconcentration of pesticides from water samples. Microwave‐assisted extraction (MAE) technique is the extraction applied for preconcentration of different compounds from solid samples. SPE coupled with MAE is capable of preconcentrating these compounds from water samples too. This investigation was aimed at improving the efficiency of atrazine, alachlor, and α‐cypermethrin pesticide extraction from the spiked water samples applying SPE followed by MAE. In this way, MAE served for elution of pesticides from C₁₈‐extraction disks with solvent heated by microwave energy. Various elution conditions were tested for their effects on the extraction efficiency of the SPE–MAE combined technique. Several parameters, such as elution solvent volume (mL), elution temperature (°C), and duration of elution (min), affect the extraction efficiency of the SPE–MAE coupled system and need to be optimized for the selected pesticides. In order to develop a mathematical model, 15 experiments were performed in the central composite design. The equation was then used to predict recoveries of the pesticides under specific experimental conditions. Optimization of microwave extraction was accomplished using the genetic algorithm approach. Best results were achieved using 20 mL of ethanol at 60°C. Optimal hold time was 5 min and 24 s. The SPE–MAE combination was also compared with the conventional SPE extraction technique with elution of a nonpolar or a moderately polar compound with nonpolar solvents.     

络合萃取-在线衍生土壤酸性除草剂条件选择与优化

以Na4EDTA为络合剂,以五氟苄基溴为衍生试剂,采用快速溶剂萃取仪萃取,同时实现土壤酸性除草剂的络合萃取在线衍生,并以气相色谱-质谱(NCI源)进行检测。对络合条件、衍生条件、萃取条件、离子源选择进行了优化。方法的回收率为75%～95%、相对标准偏差为6.7%～13%、检测限2.8～8.4μg/Kg。     

Simultaneous Analysis of Herbicide Metribuzin and Quizalofop-p-ethyl Residues in Potato and Soil by GC-ECD

A robust and sensitive method was developed for the simultaneous analysis of metribuzin and quizalofop-p-ethyl residues in potato and soil, based on solid-phase extraction (SPE) coupled to capillary gas chromatography with electron capture detector (GC-ECD). Residues of two herbicides were extracted from potato and soil with acetone and methanol–water, followed by SPE to remove coextractives, before analysis by GC-ECD. SPE procedures were performed on Florisil cartridges (500 mg, 3 mL), the analytes from potato and soil matrix were eluted with petroleum ether-acetic ether (9:1 v/v, 5 mL) and petroleum ether-acetic ether (8:2 v/v, 2 mL), respectively. Limits of quantification of the method were 0.01 mg kg^?1, and the mean recoveries ranged from 72.9 to 109.5% with relative standard deviation ranging from 0.7 to 9.2% at the three spike levels (0.01, 0.1, and 0.5 mg kg^?1). The proposed method was successfully applied to the analysis of metribuzin and quizalofop-p-ethyl residues in potato and soil samples from an experimental field. Direct confirmation of the analytes in real samples was achieved by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC–MS).     

Optimization of supercritical fluid extraction of pesticide residues in soil by means of central composite design and analysis by gas chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry

An environmentally friendly methodology is proposed for the analysis of pesticides in soil samples based on supercritical fluid extraction (SFE) and analysis at high selectivity and sensitivity, by gas chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (GC-MS-MS). The pesticides investigated are among the most commonly used in intensive horticulture activities comprising organochlorine and organophosphorous insecticides, triazine and acetanilide herbicides, amongst others. An experimental design approach was used for modelling SFE and optimised extraction conditions were derived for the total pesticides extraction or for specific sub-groups of interest. Pesticide residues could be detected in soils in the sub-ppb range (0.1-3.7microgkg(-1)), with quite good precision (4.2-15.7%) and extraction efficiency (80.4-106.5%). The analysis of soil samples from an intensive horticulture area in Póvoa de Varzim, north of Portugal, revealed the presence of persistent pesticides, parent compounds and degradation products among the following: endosulfan, endosulfan sulfate, dieldrin, 4,4'-DDE, 4,4'-DDD, atrazine, alachlor, metolachlor, chlorpyrifos, pendimethalin and lindane. The important features to point out are the easy interpretation of chromatograms and straightforward confirmation of analytes that greatly facilitates the analyst judgement on the contamination of the sample.     

Herbicide and degradate flux in the Yazoo River Basin

During 1996-1997, water samples were collected from five sites in the Yazoo River Basin and analysed for 14 herbicides and nine degradates. These included acetochlor, alachlor, atrazine, cyanazine, fluometuron, metolachlor, metribuzin, molinate, norflurazon, prometryn, propanil, propazine, simazine, trifluralin, three degradates of fluometuron, two degradates of atrazine, one degradate of cyanazine, norflurazon, prometryn, and propanil. Fluxes generally were higher in 1997 than in 1996 due to a greater rainfall in 1997 than 1996. Fluxes were much larger from streams in the alluvial plain (an area of very productive farmland) than from the Skuna River in the bluff hills (an area of small farms, pasture, and forest). Adding the flux of the atrazine degradates to the atrazine flux increased the total atrazine flux by an average of 14.5%. The fluometuron degradates added about 10% to the total fluometuron flux, and adding the norflurazon degradate flux to the norflurazon flux increased the flux by 82% in 1996 and by 171% in 1997.     

Evaluation of surface- and ground-water pollution due to herbicides in agricultural areas of Zamora and Salamanca (Spain)

The pollution of agricultural land due to herbicides was assessed in the Guare?a and Almar river basins, situated in the provinces of Zamora and Salamanca (Spain). A set of fifteen herbicides, including triazines, ureas, amides and others, was selected owing to their frequency of use, the amounts used, their toxicity and their persistence in the environment. Solid-phase extraction with polymeric cartridges, followed by HPLC with diode-array detection, were used to monitor the herbicides. This technique was chosen owing to the wide range of functionality and polarity of the analytes under study. The detection limits obtained were in the 0.004-0.025 microg/l range (lambda=220 nm). Surface and ground waters, taken from different locations in the basins, were analyzed over a 6-month period. The presence of six out of the fifteen herbicides monitored--chlortoluron, atrazine, terbutryn, alachlor, diflufenican and fluazifop-butyl--was detected in several samples at levels ranging from the detection limit to 1.2 microg/l. The relationship of these herbicides to the agricultural activities of the zone is discussed.     

气相色谱-质谱法同时测定粮谷及油籽中多种酰胺类除草剂残留量

粮谷及油籽样品经丙酮-水提取,经去脂和弗罗里硅土固相萃取小柱净化,气相色谱-质谱(GC-MS)选择离子监测模式(SIM)对净化液进行检测;一次进样,便可对粮谷及油籽样品中的9种酰胺类除草剂及常混用的莠去津和嗪草酮等除草剂残留进行准确定量和确证。除草剂回收率为63%~96%;相对标准偏差为2.1%~11.2%;定量下限为0.02~0.05 mg/kg。该法快速、灵敏、准确,各项技术指标均满足农药残留检测的要求。     

LC–UV determination of atrazine and its principal conversion products in soil after combined microwave-assisted and solid-phase extraction

A multiresidue method developed for the analysis of atrazine and its principal conversion products, deisopropylatrazine (DIA), deethylatrazine (DEA) and hydroxyatrazine (HA), in soil is presented. The method is based on the microwave-assisted extraction (MAE) of soil with aqueous methanol followed by solid-phase extraction (SPE) of the extracts and subsequent analysis by LC–UV with a diode array detector. MAE operational parameters (extraction solvent, extractant volume) were optimized with respect to extraction efficiency of the target compounds from soils with 2.5% organic matter (OM) content. Recoveries above 80% were obtained for all solutes. Soil OM content did not affect analyte recoveries. Recoveries from fresh and aged residues, the latter weathered under cold storage conditions, were not statistically different. Finally, MAE was found to be superior in terms of extraction efficiency, sample throughput, and solvent consumption to conventional flask-shaking extraction.     

Determination of triazine herbicides in human body fluids by solid-phase microextraction and capillary gas chromatography

Summary Eight triazine herbicides, prometon, propazine, atrazine, simazine, prometryn, ametryn, metribuzin, and cyanazine, have been extracted from human whole blood and urine samples by headspace solid-phase microextraction (SPME) with a polydimethylsiloxane-coated fiber and quantified by capillary gas chromatography with nitrogen-phosphorus detection. Extraction efficiencies for all compounds were 0.21–0.99% for whole blood, except for cyanazine (0.06%). For urine, the extraction efficiencies for prometon, propazine, atrazine, prometryn and ametryn were 13.6–38.1%, and those of simazine, metribuzin and cyanazine were 1.35–8.73%. The regression equations for the compounds extracted from whole blood were linear within the concentration ranged 0.01–1 μg (0.5 mL)⁻¹ for prometon, propazine, atrazine, prometryn, and ametryn, and 0.02–1 μg (0.5 mL)⁻¹ for simazine, metribuzin, and cyanazine. For urine, regression equations for all compounds were linear within the concentration range 0.005–0.25 μg mL⁻¹. Compound detection limits were 2.8–9.0 ng (0.5 mL)⁻¹ and 0.4–2.0 ng mL⁻¹ for whole blood and urine, respectively. The coefficients of within-day and day-to-day variation were satisfactory for all the compounds, and not greater than 10.3 and 14.2%, respectively. Data obtained from determination of atrazine in rat whole blood after oral administration of the compound are also presented.     

Stability of pesticides on solid-phase extraction disks after incubation at various temperatures and for various time intervals: interlaboratory study

An interlaboratory study was conducted at 8 locations to assess the stability of pesticides on solid-phase extraction (SPE) disks after incubation at various temperatures and for various time intervals. Deionized water fortified with selected pesticides was extracted by using 2 types of SPE filtration disks (Empore C18 and Speedisk C18XF), and after extraction, the disks were incubated at 3 temperatures (25, 40, and 55 degrees C) and for 2 time intervals (4 and 14 days). Deionized water was fortified with atrazine, carbofuran, and chlorpyrifos by all participating laboratories. In addition, some of the laboratories included 2 of the following pesticides: metolachlor, metribuzin, simazine, chlorothalonil, and malathion. Concurrently, fortified water samples were extracted with the incubated samples by using each disk type at 4 and 14 days. Pesticides had equivalent or greater stability on > or = 1 of the C18 disk types, compared with storage in water. The lowest recoveries of carbofuran (6%) and chlorpyrifos (7%) were obtained at 55 degrees C after storage for 14 days in incubated water. At 55 degrees C after 14 days, the lowest recovery for atrazine was 65% obtained by using Empore disks. Pesticide-specific losses occurred on the C18 disks in this study, underlining the importance of temperature and time interval when water is extracted at remote field locations and the SPE disks containing the extracted pesticides are transported or shipped to a laboratory for elution and analysis.     

A nanoparticle-based solid-phase extraction method for liquid chromatography-electrospray ionization-tandem mass spectrometric analysis

A solid-phase extraction (SPE) procedure with the use of superparamagnetic Fe(3)O(4) nanoparticles as extracting agent was developed for HPLC-ESI-MS/MS analysis. Four most heavily used triazine pesticides (herbicides) were taken as the test compounds. The NPs showed an excellent capability to retain the compounds tested, and a quantitative extraction was achieved within 10min under the testing conditions, i.e. 100 microL NP solution was added to 400 mL sample in a beaker with stirring. After extraction, the superparamagnetic NPs were easily collected by using an external magnet. Very importantly, analytes retained on the Fe(3)O(4) NPs could be quantitatively recovered by dissolving the NPs with an HCl solution, allowing subsequent HPLC-ESI-MS/MS quantification. A capillary HPLC-ESI-MS/MS method with the present NP-based SPE procedure was developed for the determination of triazines including atrazine, prometryn, terbutryn, and propazine. Atrazine-d(5) was used as internal standard. The method had an LOD of 10 pg/mL atrazine, and a linear calibration curve over a range from 30 pg to 50.0 ng/mL. Simultaneous determination of the four triazine pesticides in water samples taken from local lakes was demonstrated.     

Application of dispersive liquid–liquid microextraction based on solidification of floating organic drop for simultaneous determination of alachlor and atrazine in aqueous samples

Dispersive liquid–liquid microextraction based on solidification of floating organic drop coupled with HPLC‐UV detection as a fast and inexpensive technique was applied to the simultaneous extraction and determination of traces of two common herbicides, alachlor and atrazine, in aqueous samples. The critical experimental parameters, including type of the extraction and disperser solvents as well as their volumes, sample pH, salt addition, and extraction time were investigated and optimized. Under the optimum conditions, the calibration graphs found to be linear in the range of 0.1–200 μg/L with LOD in the range of 0.02–0.05 μg/L. The RSDs were in the range of 4.2–5.3% (n = 5). The relative recoveries of well, tap, and river water samples which have been spiked with different levels of herbicides were 94.0–106.0, 99.0–105.0, and 88.5–97.0%, respectively.     

Analysis of Metribuzin and transformation products in soil by pressurized liquid extraction and liquid chromatographic-tandem mass spectrometry

A method developed for study of metribuzin degradation in soil is presented. LC-MS-MS and electrospray ionisation was used for analysis of metribuzin and the metabolites deaminometribuzin (DA), diketometribuzin (DK) and deaminodiketometribuzin (DADK). Soil samples were extracted by pressurized liquid extraction using methanol-water (75:25) at 60 degrees C. In general, recoveries were about 75% for metribuzin, DA and DADK and their detection limit in soil was 1.25 microg/kg. Lower sensitivity was observed for DK, with detection limit at 12.5 microg/kg and recovery about 50%.     

Solid-phase extraction with styrene-divinylbenzene sorbent for high-performance liquid or gas chromatographic determination of urinary chloro- and methylthiotriazines.

A solid-phase extraction (SPE) procedure on a styrene-divinylbenzene (SDB-1 cartridge) for extraction and cleaning of the triazine herbicides atrazine, simazine, ametryn, and prometryn and atrazine monodealkylated metabolites from urine samples was developed and optimised for final high-performance liquid chromatographic (HPLC-UV diode array detection) and gas chromatographic (GC-electron-capture detection and GC-thermionic-sensitive detection) analyses. Interfering polar matrices were eliminated by rinsing SDB-1 with 1% acetonitrile in water or with pure water. Extraction recoveries were from 78 to 101% with an RSD of about 10% for all studied compounds. The extraction recovery for the didealkylated atrazine metabolite was significantly lower and this compound cannot be determined with these procedures. Sorbent matrix generated interferences, although not detected by the chromatographic system, lowered the response of nitrogen-phosphorus and electron-capture GC detectors for monodealkylated chlorotriazines when compared to standards prepared in n-hexane. HPLC and GC analysis with SPE (SDB-1) preconcentration showed excellent linearity over the concentration range tested, with detection limits in urine of 10 ng ml(-1) for the parent herbicides (HPLC and GC analysis) and 20 ng ml(-1) for monodealkylated chlorotriazines (HPLC analysis).     

Novel chromatographic separation and carbon solid-phase extraction of acetanilide herbicide degradation products

One acetamide and 5 acetanilide herbicides are currently registered for use in the United States. Over the past several years, ethanesulfonic acid (ESA) and oxanilic acid (OA) degradation products of these acetanilide/acetamide herbicides have been found in U.S. ground waters and surface waters. Alachlor ESA and other acetanilide degradation products are listed on the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) 1998 Drinking Water Contaminant Candidate List. Consequently, EPA is interested in obtaining national occurrence data for these contaminants in drinking water. EPA currently does not have a method for determining these acetanilide degradation products in drinking water; therefore, a research method is being developed using liquid chromatography/negative ion electrospray/mass spectrometry with solid-phase extraction (SPE). A novel chromatographic separation of the acetochlor/alachlor ESA and OA structural isomers was developed which uses an ammonium acetate-methanol gradient combined with heating the analytical column to 70 degrees C. Twelve acetanilide degradates were extracted by SPE from 100 mL water samples using carbon cartridges with mean recoveries >90% and relative standard deviations < or =16%.     

A Review of the Extraction of Herbicide Residues from Aged Saskatchewan Field Soils

Abstract

Polar solvents based on aqueous methanol and aqueous acetonitrile are good extractants of herbicides from Saskatchewan field soils that had received treatments of the individual chemicals 6 to 17 months previously. The addition of small amounts of acetic acid or ammonium hydroxide to aqueous acetonitrile resulted in greater recovery of most herbicides. In general, 50 ml of the extraction solvent were added to 20 g of soil and the soils were then initially extracted for 1-hr on a wrist-action shaker and then allowed to stand overnight before being shaken for a further 1-hr period.