Detection of organophosphate pesticides in human body fluids by headspace solid-phase microextraction (SPME) and capillary gas chromatography with nitrogen-phosphorus detection

Summary Organosphosphate pesticides have been found extractable by headspace solid-phase microextraction (SPME), and the best conditions of their extraction from human whole blood and urine samples have been investigated. The body fluid samples containing nine pesticides (IBP, methyl parathion, fenitrothion, malathion, fenthion, isoxathion, ethion, EPN and phosalone) were heated at 100°C in a septum-capped vial in the presence of various combinations of acid and salts, and SPME fiber was exposed to the headspace of the vial to allow adsorption of the pesticides before capillary gas chromatography (GC) with nitrogen-phosphorus detection. The heating with distilled water/HCl/(NH₄)₂SO₄/NaCl and with distilled water/HCl gave the best results for urine and whole blood, respectively. Recoveries of the nine pesticides were 0.8–10.6% except for phosalone (0.03%) for whole blood, and 3.8–40.2% for urine. The calibration curves for the pesticides showed linearity in the range of 50–400 ng/0.5 mL for whole blood except for malathion (100–400 ng/0.5 mL whole blood) and 7.5–120 ng/0.5 mL for urine except for phosalone (15–120 ng/0.5 mL urine) with detection limits of 2.2–40 ng/0.5 mL for whole blood and 0.8–12 ng/0.5 mL for urine.     

Radiolysis of pyridoxine (vitamin B6) in aqueous solution under different conditions

Aqueous solutions of pyridoxine (1 mM) without or with additive of K₃[Fe(CN)₆] (2.5 mM) were gamma-irradiated at different doses and dose rate of 2.16 kGy/h in the absence of air, in the presence of air or by their saturation with N₂O. The radiolytic products were analyzed with HPLC, mass spectrometry and UV spectroscopy. 2,4,5-Trihydroxymethyl-3-pyridinol, pyridoxal, isopyridoxal and 6-hydroxypyridoxine were formed by radiolysis in the absence of K₃[Fe(CN)₆], and their concentrations were much higher in samples saturated with N₂O. Pyridoxi-3,6-quinone was found by radiolysis under all the above-mentioned conditions but only in the presence of K₃[Fe(CN)₆]. Besides, the pyridoxal formation increased in the presence of this oxidizing agent. G values of pyridoxal formation and pyridoxine degradation were quantified. Some details of the radiolytic product formation were discussed.     

Radiation-chemical transformations of humic acid in aqueous solutions

The transformations of kinetically stable aqueous humic acid solutions saturated with Ar, N₂O, or air by the action of fast electrons at absorbed doses to 20 kGy were studied. In radiolytic and postradiation processes, humic acid was converted into insoluble compounds, whose precipitation accelerated with dose. The formation of insoluble compounds was enhanced in neutral and acidified solutions saturated with air and/or N₂O. As low-molecular-mass carboxylic acids that resulted from the radiolytic fragmentation of humic acid were accumulated in solution, the phase transformation weakened. The irradiated solutions were easy to purify by chemical coagulation.     

Radiolysis in H2O/D2O mixtures. Hydrogen production under LOCA simulation

The hydrogen isotope radiolytic yields, G(H₂), G(HD) and G(D₂) were determined in H₂O/D₂O mixtures under chemical conditions close to a LOCA in a PHWR like Atucha I Nuclear Station, that is 2·10^–3 MH₃BO₃ and p(H+D)=8.5±0.2. The total hydrogen radiolytic yield G(H₂+HD+D₂) as a function of the deuterium atom fraction goes through a flat maximum at about 0.58. This result in dicates that the 4% flammability limit for hydrogen in the reactor's containment with be reached sooner than what is expected assuming a linear combination of pure H₂ and D₂ radiolytic yields. Hydrogen radiolytic production in 10^–3 M KBr in H₂O/D₂O mixtures gives the same results as in the boric solutions suggesting a bimolecular B(OH) ₄ ^– +OH reaction. Identical isotope concentration factors were calculated for both solutions.     

Steady-state radiolysis and product analysis of aqueous diphenyloxide in the presence of air and N2O

The radiation-induced decomposition and product analysis of diphenyloxide (DPO; diphenylether), selected as a representative of the toxic polyaromatic, volatile, hydrocarbons produced by combustion of coal, was investigated in aqueous solution. In the presence of air an initial degradation yield, G_i(-DPO)0=4.6 was obtained. Phenol (G_i=1.3) appeared to be the major decomposition product in addition to a number of hydroxy-compounds as well as a mixture of aldehydes and carboxylic acids. DPO as well as the resulting products can be decomposed at an absorbed radiation dose of about 5 kGy.By performing analogous studies in solution saturated with N₂O an initial yield of G_i(-DPO)=5.0 and similar radiolytic products were found. Again phenol (G_i=1.5) is observed as the main product. In this case a much lower radiation dose (∼2.5 kGy) is found to be sufficient for the decomposition of DPO and its radiolytic products. Most likely reaction mechanisms are presented for explanation of the observed products.     

Studies on the radiolytic stability of N,N,N′,N′-tetra-2-ethylhexyl diglycolamide in n-dodecane solution containing different phase modifiers

The radiolytic stability of a branched diglycolamide extractant, namely N,N,N′,N′-tetra-2-ethylhexyl diglycolamide (T2EHDGA) dissolved in n-dodecane containing several phase modifiers, viz. N,N-dihexyloctanamide (DHOA), tri-n-butyl phosphate (TBP), 1-decanol and iso-decanol has been investigated. The distribution ratio of Am(III) decreased with increased radiation dose studied up to 1000 kGy. Nevertheless, all the composition of extractants showed satisfactory results up to 500 kGy, beyond which the extractants degraded drastically. The stripping behaviour of Am(III) with 0.2 M HNO₃ was found to be unaffected even with the ligand solution irradiated up to 1000 kGy. Extraction of fission product and structural elements was also investigated using the irradiated solvents and was found to be not significantly affected with increasing absorbed dose with the exception of Mo which showed sharp rise in the distribution coefficient values. Loading of Nd in the organic phase decreased with the irradiated solvent due to degradation of the carrier. The effect of the absorbed dose on physical parameters such as density, viscosity and interfacial tension of the solvents has also been investigated.     

Homogeneous liquid-liquid extraction combined with gas chromatography-electron capture detector for the determination of three pesticide residues in soils

In this study, a new method was developed for analyzing malathion, cypermethrin and lambda-cyhalothrin from soil samples by using homogeneous liquid–liquid extraction (HLLE) and gas chromatography with electron capture detector (GC–ECD). Acetone was used as extraction solvent for the extraction of target pesticides from soil samples. When the extraction process was finished, the target analytes in the extraction solvent were rapidly transferred from the acetone extract to carbon tetrachloride, using HLLE. Under the optimum conditions, linearity was obtained in the range of 0.05–40 μg kg⁻¹ for malathion, 0.04–10 μg kg⁻¹ for lambda-cyhalothrin and 0.05–50 μg kg⁻¹ for cypermethrin, respectively. Coefficients of correlation (r²) ranged from 0.9993 to 0.9998. The repeatability was carried out by spiking soil samples at concentration levels of 2.5 μg kg⁻¹ for lambda-cyhalothrin, and 10 μg kg⁻¹ for malathion and cypermethrin, respectively. The relative standard deviations (RSDs) varied between 2.3 and 9.6% (n = 3). The limits of detection (LODs), based on signal-to-noise ratio (S/N) of 3, varied between 0.01 and 0.04 μg kg⁻¹. The relative recoveries of three pesticides from soil A1, A2 and A3 at spiking levels of 2.5, 5 and 10 μg kg⁻¹ were in the range of 82.20–91.60%, 88.90–110.5% and 77.10–98.50%, respectively. In conclusion, the proposed method can be successfully applied for the determination of target pesticide residues in real soil samples.     

High energy induced decoloration and mineralization of Reactive Red 120 dye in aqueous solution: A steady state and pulse radiolysis study

Gamma radiation induced decoloration and degradation of aqueous solution of Reactive Red 120 dye (RR-120) have been investigated under different experimental conditions. Rate constants for the reaction of hydrated electron and hydroxyl radical with RR-120 were determined to be 1.2×10¹⁰ and 7.9×10⁹ mol^?1 dm³ s^?1, respectively, by pulse radiolysis technique. The decoloration and degradation efficiency were measured in terms of % decoloration and % TOC, respectively. Decoloration was observed to be most efficient under reducing condition, where the radiolytic yield for the decoloration of dye was determined to be 0.14 μmol/J. The extent of decoloration for both aerated and oxygen saturated solution was almost identical, whereas it decreased in N₂O saturated solution as well as N₂ saturated solution. For a solution having 10.56 μg/ml total organic carbon (TOC) at a dose of 3 kGy, 48% mineralization takes place in oxygen saturated solution whereas under aerated condition same was observed to be lowered to 38%.     

The response characteristics of tetrazolium violet solutions to gamma irradiation

The dosimetry characteristics of various solutions of tetrazolium violet, TV, (2,5-diphenyl-3-(1-naphthyl)-2H-tetrazolium chloride) to gamma irradiation are reported. The optical absorption spectra of these solutions show peaks between 400 and 600 nm with a shoulder at around 550 nm. The dose response of the optical absorbance values of aqueous and aqueous-alcoholic solutions containing different concentrations of TV was measured in the 250 Gy up to 75 kGy dose range. The formation of formazan product was observed due to radiolytic reduction in both solutions. Its formation was found more pronounced in N₂-saturated as well as in alkaline solutions. The results indicate that the 1 mM TV solution can be used for food irradiation and medical sterilization dosimetry at gamma irradiation facilities.     

1-Chloronaphthalene decomposition in different gas mixtures under electron beam irradiation

The decomposition by electron beam (EB) irradiation of 1-chloronaphthalene in different gas matrices (air, N₂) was studied. Over 80% 1-chloronaphthalene was decomposed in air at 58 kGy dose when the initial concentration of 1-chloronaphthalene was 12–30 mg/Nm³. Over 50% 1-chloronaphthalene was decomposed in nitrogen when the initial concentration of 1-chloronaphthalene was 15–42 mg/Nm³.     

Degradation of diazinon contaminated waters by ionizing radiation

Study of degradation of diazinon pesticide by ⁶⁰Co gamma irradiation in a single aqueous solution was conducted on a laboratory scale and the effect of ionizing radiation on the removal efficiency of diazinon residues was investigated. Distilled water solutions at three different concentrations of targeted compound (i.e. 0.329, 1.643 and 3.286 μmol dm⁻³) were irradiated over the range 0.1–6 kGy. The initial concentration of contaminant and irradiation doses play a significant role in the rate of destruction; this was evident from the calculated decay constants of diazinon residue. Gamma radiolysis showed that the absorbed doses from 1.5 to 5.6 kGy at a dose rate of 4.79 kGy h⁻¹ achieved 90% destruction for diazinon with initial concentrations over the range 0.329–3.286 μmol dm⁻³. The radiolytic degradation by-products and their mass balances were qualitative determined with good confidence by using GC/quadrupole mass spectrometry (GC/MS) with EI⁺ or CI in positive and negative ionization mode and diazinon degradation pathways were proposed. Additionally, the final products of irradiation were identified by ion chromatography (IC) to be acetic and formic acid.     

Gas‐phase copper and silver complexes with phosphorothioate and phosphorodithioate pesticides investigated using electrospray ionization mass spectrometry

Efforts to improve agricultural productivity have led to a growing dependency on organophosphorus pesticides. Phosphorothioate and phosphorodithioate pesticides are organophosphorus pesticide subclasses with widespread application for the control of insects feeding on vegetables and fruits. However, even low doses of these pesticides can cause neurological problems in humans; thus, their determination and monitoring in agricultural foodstuffs is important for human health. Phosphorothioate and phosphorodithioate pesticides may be poorly ionized during electrospray, adversely affecting limits of detection. These pesticides can form complexes with Cu²⁺ and Ag⁺, however, potentially improving ionization. In the present work, we used electrospray ionization/mass spectrometry (ESI/MS) to study fenitrothion, parathion, diazinon, and malathion coordination complexes with silver and copper ions. Stable 1 : 1 and 1 : 2 metal/pesticide complexes were detected. Mass spectra acquired from pesticide solutions containing Ag⁺ or Cu²⁺ showed a significant increase in signal‐to‐background ratio over those acquired from solutions containing only the pesticides, with Ag⁺ improving detection more effectively than Cu²⁺. Addition of Ag⁺ to a pesticide solution improved the limit of detection by ten times. The relative affinity of each pesticide for Ag⁺ was related to complex stability, following the order diazinon > malathion > fenitrothion > parathion. The formation of Ag⁺–pesticide complexes can significantly improve the detection of phosphorothioate and phosphorodithioate pesticides using ESI/MS. The technique could potentially be used in reactive desorption electrospray ionization/mass spectrometry to detect phosphorothioate and phosphorodithioate pesticides on fruit and vegetable skins. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Reactivity of tri-n-bytylphosphate towards solvated electrons

Decomposition yields of tri-n-butylphosphate in methanol solutions saturated with Ar or N₂O were determined. On the basis of difference between yields in Ar and N₂O saturated solutions the rate constant k_{/e s} ^– _+TBP/=5.0×10⁶ dm³.mol^–1.s^–1 was calculated.     

De-contamination of pesticide residues in food by ionizing radiation

The role of gamma irradiation on removal of pesticides in aqueous solutions or in vegetables and fruits was investigated. Radiation - induced decontamination of pesticides is generally greater in aqueous solutions than in selected vegetables and fruits. Residues of malathion (0.5 ppm in potatoes, 8 ppm in onions and dates), pirimiphos-methyl (1 ppm in onions and grapes) and cypermethrin (0.05 ppm in potatoes and 0.1 ppm in onions) were not reduced to below maximum residue limits (MRLs) for irradiation doses up to 1 kGy. The same trend was observed when irradiation was performed for grapes fortified with malathion (8 ppm) and cypermethrin (2 ppm) for absorbed doses up to 2 kGy. Ionizing radiation reduced the residues of pirimiphos-methyl (0.05 ppm in potatoes at1 kGy, 1 ppm in grapes at 2 kGy and 0.1 ppm in dates at1 kGy), malathion (8 ppm in grapes at 7 kGy) and cypermethrin (2 ppm in grapes at 7 kGy) to below maximum residue limits (MRLs).     

Alpha radiolytic degradation of <Emphasis Type="Italic">N,N</Emphasis>-dihexyl octanamide

The primary purpose of this study was to understand the alpha radiolytic degradation behavior of N,N-dihexyl octanamide (DHOA) vis a vis tributyl phosphate (TBP) solutions in n-dodecane under plutonium loading conditions. These studies were carried out as a function of dose on different Pu loaded samples (containing 0.002-10 g/L Pu) from 4 M HNO₃ medium. These Pu loaded solutions were evaluated for stripping behavior by contacting with 0.5 M NH₂OH at 0.5 M HNO₃ solutions. Organic phase analysis was carried out by gas chromatography (GC) and by visible spectrophotometry. These studies clearly indicated that Pu stripping becomes difficult with increased dose in the case of TBP system. On the other hand, no such problem was observed in DHOA system during stripping of plutonium, thereby indicating that DHOA is a promising candidate for the reprocessing of high burn up Pu rich spent fuels.     

Reactivity of OH radicals with chlorobenzoic acids—A pulse radiolysis and steady-state radiolysis study

The reactions of OH radicals with 2-, 3-, 4-chlorobenzoic acids (ClBzA) and chlorobenzene (ClBz), k(OH+substrates)=(4.5?6.2)×10⁹ dm³ mol^?1 s^?1, have been studied by pulse radiolysis in N₂O saturated solutions. The absorption maxima of the OH-adducts were in the range of 320?340 nm. Their decay was according to a second-order reaction, 2k=(1?9)×10⁸ dm³ mol^?1 s^?1. In the presence of N₂O/O₂ the formation of peroxyl radicals was detectable for 2-, 4-ClBzA and ClBz, k(OH-adduct+O₂)=(2?4)×10⁷ dm³ mol^?1 s^?1, while this reaction for 3-ClBzA was too slow to be registered. In the presence of N₂O the degradation rates induced by gamma radiation were very similar for all chlorobenzoic acids, yet the chloride formation was distinctly higher for 3-ClBzA. In the presence of oxygen the initial degradation of 2-and 4-ClBzA equaled the OH-radical concentration, whereas in case of 3-ClBzA only ～60% of OH led to degradation. The order for the efficiency of dehalogenation was 4->2->3-ClBzA. Several primary radiolytic products could be detected by HPLC. To evaluate the toxicity of final products a bacterial bioluminescence test was carried out.     

Photocatalytic mineralization of chlorinated organic pollutants in water by polyoxometallates. Determination of intermediates and final degradation products

Homogeneous aqueous solutions of organochlorine pesticides and chlorophenols, namely, lindane, hexachlorobenzene and 2,4-dichlorophenol (2,4DCP), undergo effective photodegradation upon photolysis with UV and near visible light in the presence of a characteristic polyoxometallate catalyst PW₁₂O₄₀ ³⁻. These substrates remained, practically, intact (lindane, HCB) or underwent minor degradation under similar conditions in absence of catalyst. The main oxidant appears to be OH radicals formed by the reaction of the excited polyoxometallate with H₂O. The system compares with the widely published TiO₂. Chlorohydroquinone (ClHQ), hydroquinone (HQ), chlorobenzoquinone (ClBQ), benzoquinone (BQ), 3,5-dichlorocatechol (3,5DCC) and 4-chlorocatechol (4CC), among others, were identified as the main aromatic intermediates in the photodegradation of 2,4DCP. Acetic acid was detected as ring cleavage product. In all cases the final photodegradation leads to complete mineralization of substrates to CO₂ and HCl.     

The O–H···O, O–H···N and C–H···O hydrogen bonds in 1,4-dimethylpiperazine mono-betaine monohydrate

1,4-Dimethylpiperazine mono-betaine (1-carboxymethyl-1,4-dimethylpiperazinium inner salt, MBPZ) crystallizes as monohydrate. The crystals are orthorhombic, space group Pccn. Two MBPZ molecules and two water molecules form a cyclic oligomer, (MBPZ·H₂O)₂. The O–H···O and O–H···N hydrogen bonds are of 2.769(1) and 2.902(1) Å, respectively. The dimers interact with the neighboring molecules through the C–H···O hydrogen bonds of 3.234(1) Å. The piperazine ring assumes a chair conformation with the N(4)–CH₃ and N⁺(1)–CH₂COO⁻ groups in the equatorial position and the N⁺(1)–CH₃ group in the axial one. The FTIR spectrum is compared with that calculated by the B3LYP/6-31G(d,p) level of theory.     

Use of multiphoton ionization of molecules for the determination of neptunium traces in solution

The possibility of detecting trace amounts of neptunium atoms and molecular compounds by laser resonance ionization spectroscopy has been investigated in acetylene-air and acetylene-nitrous oxide flames. Experimentally evaluated atomization coefficients of neptunium in the process of thermal dissociation in flames (10^–4% for C₂H₂-air and 10^–2% for C₂H₂–N₂O) do not allow to use atomic ionization signal for determination of neptunium microamounts in solutions. High yield multiphoton ionization of NpO molecule has been realized in fuel rich C₂H₂–N₂O flame. This pehnomenon has been used for determination of trace quantities of Np in solution. The detection limit was 2·10^–9 g/ml.     

Adsorption of Apollo reactive dyes on poly(N,N dimethylamino ethylmethacrylate) hydrogels

Poly(N,N-dimethylamino ethylmethacrylate) [P(DMAEMA)] hydrogels were prepared by irradiating the ternary mixtures of dimethylamino ethylmethacrylate (DMAEMA)/ethyleneglycol dimethacrylate (EGDMA)/water (H₂O) by γ-rays at ambient temperature. The swelling of four types of DMAEMA hydrogels in distilled water is higher than the swelling of these hydrogels in dye solutions. The value of equilibrium swelling of P(DMAEMA)1 hydrogel was 338% at pH 7.0 in distilled water, while it was 325% and 326% at pH 7.0 in Apollofix Red (AR) and Apollofix Yellow (AY) solutions, respectively. The adsorption capacity of P(DMAEMA)1 hydrogel was found to increase from 85 to 131 mg for AR g⁻¹ dry gel and from 58 to 111 mg for AY g⁻¹ dry gel with decreasing pH of the dye solutions.