Solid Phase Extraction of Solanesol

The method of solid-phase extraction (SPE) for the concentration and clean-up of tobacco extract samples during solanesol analysis was proposed in this work. A column (200 mm × 4 mm i.d.) packed with 0.10 g silica gel (with particle size of 70 μm, porosity of 0.5 and surface area of 400 m² g⁻¹) was used as SPE cartridge. Several extraction parameters, such as sample loading flow (0.3–7 mL min⁻¹), sample volume (5–50 mL), the column adsorption capacity and elution were evaluated to provide a fast, quantitative and reproducible SPE method. A mean solanesol recovery was 97.5 ± 1.6% (mean ± sd) and mean intra- and inter-day reproducibility was higher than 97%. It can be used in the analysis of solanesol in tobacco extracts.     

Solid-Phase Extraction and LC with Fluorescence Detection for Analysis of PAHs in Rainwater

The efficiency of extraction of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) from rainwater by solid-phase extraction (SPE) with three different types of cartridge, and analysis by high-performance liquid chromatography with fluorescence detection, are discussed in this paper. Three cartridges were investigated but only one was suitable. After equilibration in a desiccator for 65–80 h or in ambient air for 90–100 h the SPE cartridges were activated with 5 mL dichloromethane then 5 mL 2-propanol. The volume of sample passed through the cartridges was 50 mL; after loading of the sample the cartridges were dried under vacuum for approximately 20 min by application of a pressure of 15 mbar to the SPE manifold. The PAHs were eluted with 5 mL dichloromethane–hexane, 50:50 (v/v). The flow rate used for conditioning, sample loading, and elution was 2.5 mL min⁻¹, achieved by application of a pressure of 6 mbar. For analysis of PAHs in rainwater, recovery was between 67 and 99%, the relative standard deviation varied between 2 and 5%, and the detection limits of the method were less than 16.9 ng L⁻¹ for several PAHs. These optimum conditions were used for analysis of rainwater collected between June 2002 and May 2003 at two sites in Alsace (eastern France) and 17 PAHs were quantitatively determined. Concentrations varied between 1.6 and 968.1 ng L⁻¹.     

Separation of acid whey proteins on the preparative scale by hyperdiffusive anion exchange chromatography

Summary The eluent flow through a fixed bed of a strong anion-exchanger Q Hyper D/F packing has been characterized by mean of the residence time distribution and the separation conditions of acid whey proteins have been established. Myoglobin under non-retaining conditions was used as a test protein because its molecular weight was close to that of α-lactalbumin, the target protein of this study. In the interstitial velocity range of 44–350 cm h⁻¹ a constant reduced height equivalent to a theoretical plate of 13 was observed. Nearly pure fractions of the five main acid whey proteins were obtained on the preparative scale for a gradient slope of NaCl 1 mM mL⁻¹, in the pH range of 6–8 and an interstitial velocity of 127 cm h⁻¹ (flow rate of 2 mL min⁻¹). A separation focused on a pure fraction of α-lactalbumin was achieved at pH 7.5 and was effective up to an interstitial velocity of 500 cm h⁻¹ (flow rate of 8 mL min⁻¹). An indepth characterization of α-lactalbumin by electrospray ionization—mass spectrometry showed that 15% of α-lactalbumin was lactosylated both in the collected fraction and in the acid whey protein concentrate used as feed.     

LC Determination of 4-Bromoaniline in Green Algae Chlamydomonas reinhardtii After Continuous-Flow Microextraction

In this study, the determination of 4-Bromoaniline (4-BA) in green algae Chlamydomonas reinhardtii (C. reinhardtii) was investigated by applying continuous-flow microextraction (CFME) combined with high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). Continuous-flow microextraction was conducted in a homemade glass chamber, i.e. the sample solution flowed through a constant volume drop of solvent in the chamber at a constant flow rate. The effects of different factors on extraction efficiencies were also investigated and these factors included the kind of extraction solvent, solvent drop volume, sample flow rate, extraction time and addition amount of salt. Under the optimum extraction conditions (extraction solvent, carbon tetrachloride; solvent drop volume, 3.5 μL; sample flow rate, 1.0 mL min⁻¹; extraction time, 10 min; no addition of salt), the calibration plot was set up by plotting peak area against a series of 4-Bromoaniline concentrations (0.01–10 μg mL⁻¹) in aqueous solution. The correlation coefficient (r) was 0.9990. The limit of detection (LOD) was 0.6 ng mL⁻¹. The precision of this method was obtained by successive five time analyses of 100-ng mL⁻¹ standard solution of 4-Bromoaniline, and the relative standard deviation (RSD) was 3.5%. The concentration factor was calculated by the ratio of peak area of the analyte obtained after and before extraction and found to be 10.6. 4-Bromoaniline residues in Chlamydomonas. reinhardtii cells and tap water samples were satisfactorily analyzed according to the method described above.     

Evaluation and application of argon and helium microstrip plasma for the determination of mercury by the cold vapor technique and optical emission spectrometry

The suitability of a 2.45-GHz atmospheric pressure, low-power microwave microstrip plasma (MSP) operated with Ar and He for the determination of Hg by continuous-flow cold vapor (CV) generation, using SnCl₂/HCl as the reducing agent, and optical emission spectrometry (OES) using a small CCD spectrometer was studied. The areas of stability for a discharge in the Ar and in the He MSP enclosed in a cylindrical channel in a quartz wafer were investigated. The excitation temperatures as measured for discharge gas atoms (Ar I, He I), and the electron number densities at 35–40 W and 15–400 mL min⁻¹ were found to be at the order of 3,200–5,500 K and 0.8 × 10¹⁴–1.6 × 10¹⁴ cm⁻³, respectively. The relative intensity of the Hg I 253.6-nm line and the signal-to-background ratio as a function of the forward power (35–40 W) as well as of the flow rate of the working gas (15–400 mL min⁻¹) were evaluated and discussed. For the selected measurement conditions, the Ar MSP was established to have the lower detection limit for Hg (0.6 ng mL⁻¹) compared with the He MSP. The linearity range is up to 300 ng mL⁻¹ and the precision is on the order of 1–3%. With the optimized CV Ar MSP-OES method a determination of Hg in spiked domestic and natural waters at concentration levels of 20–100 μg L⁻¹ and an accuracy of 1–4% could be performed. In an NIST domestic sludge standard reference material, Hg (3.64 μg g⁻¹) could be determined with a relative standard deviation of 4% and an agreement better than 4%.     

On-line solid-phase extraction-gas chromatography-ion trap tandem mass spectrometric detection for the nanogram per liter analysis of trace pollutants in aqueous samples

Summary On-line solid-phase extraction-gas chromatographyion-trap tandem mass spectrometry (SPE-GC-MS/MS) has been used for the trace-level determination of polar and apolar pesticides. The SPE-GC interface, an Autoloop 2000, was operated at an injection temperature of 90°C which permitted the determination of thermolabile pesticides such as carbofuran and carbaryl. Rectilinear calibration curves were obtained for the analytes tested over a range of 0.1–500 ng L⁻¹, using a sample volume of 10–100 mL for enrichment on an SPE cartridge packed with styrene-divinylbenzene copolymer. The detection limits for the pesticides were in the 0.01–4 ng L⁻¹ range. For a number of pesticides acceptable tandem mass spectra were obtained at levels as low as 0.1 ng L⁻¹ level in real-life water samples. As a demonstration of the applicability of this technique for inorganic anions, bromide and nitrite were converted into 4-bromoacetanilide and 2-phenylphenol, respectively. The reaction products were pooled and subjected to simultaneous analysis by the present method using full-scan mass spectrometric detection. The detection limits were 0.3 and 2 ng L⁻¹, respectively.     

High-Speed Large Scale Chromatographic Purification of Plasmid DNA with a Novel Giant-Pore Stationary Phase

A rigid spherical giant-pore poly (glycidyl methacrylate-co-ethylene dimethacrylate) matrix has been prepared by radical suspension–polymerization on the basis of a novel porogenic mode using superfine particles of calcium carbonate as a solid porogen. Scanning electron microscopy reveals that the bead has pores as large as 10 μm. The hydrodynamic properties show that this polymeric material has good strength and a low back pressure of 1.0 MPa at a flow velocity of 3,000 cm h⁻¹. After being modified to be an anion-exchange material, high dynamic binding capacity of plasmid DNA of above 1,000 μg plasmid per mL of bed by a column of this material, could be obtained comparing to the 150 μg plasmid per mL of bed with a Q-Sepharose FF column at the same flow rate. Large-scale preparative plasmid separations (2–20 mL) from cell lysate were investigated. A 75% yield and 94.9% purity of SC plasmid DNA were obtained by a 20 mL column of giant-pore beads at a flow rate of 600 cm h⁻¹.     

Molecularly imprinted polymer solid-phase extraction coupled to square wave voltammetry at carbon fibre microelectrodes for the determination of fenbendazole in beef liver

A molecularly imprinted polymer was developed and used for solid-phase extraction (MISPE) of the antihelmintic fenbendazole in beef liver samples. Detection of the analyte was accomplished using square wave voltammetry (SWV) at a cylindrical carbon fibre microelectrode (CFME). A mixture of MeOH/HAc (9:1) was employed both as eluent in the MISPE system and as working medium for electrochemical detection of fenbendazole. The limit of detection was 1.9 × 10⁻⁷ mol L⁻¹ (57 μg L⁻¹), which was appropriate for the determination of fenbendazole at the maximum residue level permitted by the European Commission (500 μg kg⁻¹ in liver). Given that the SW voltammetric analysis could not be directly performed in the sample extract as a consequence of interference from some sample components, a sample clean-up with a MIP for selectively retaining fenbendazole was performed. The MIP was synthesized using a 1:8:22 template/methacrylic acid/ethylene glycol dimethacrylate ratio. A Britton–Robinson Buffer of pH 9.0 was selected for retaining fenbendazole in the MIP cartridges, and an eluent volume of 5.0 mL at a flow rate of 2.0 mL min⁻¹ was chosen in the elution step. Cross-reactivity with the MIP was observed for other benzimidazoles. The synthesized MIP exhibited a good selectivity for benzimidazoles with respect to other veterinary drugs. The applicability of the MISPE-SWV method was tested with beef liver samples, spiked with fenbendazole at 5,000 and 500 μg kg⁻¹. Results obtained for ten different liver samples yielded mean recoveries of (95 ± 12)% and (96 ± 11)% for the upper and lower concentration level, respectively.     

Direct analysis of clomipramine in human plasma by microbore high performance liquid chromatography with column-switching

Summary An automated microbore, liquid chromatographic method with column-switching was developed for the determination of clomipramine from human plasma samples. After direct injection of samples (60 μL), plasma proteins and clomipramine were separated in size-exclusion mode using 20% acetonitrile in 20 mM phosphate buffer (pH 7.0) on Capcell Pak MF Ph-1 precolumn (10×4 mm I.D.). By valve switching, a fraction containing clomipramine was directed to an intermediate column for subsequent main separation on a microbore C₁₈ column (250×1.5 mm I.D.) using 50% acetonitrile in 20 mM phosphate buffer (pH 2.5) at 0.1 mL min⁻¹. The method was advantageous for rapidity (total analysis time: 15 min), reproducibility (C.V.<4.8%), and increased sensitivity (1 ng mL⁻¹). The linearity of response was good (r ²≥0.999) over the concentration range 1–250 ng mL⁻¹.     

Use of experimental design in the optimisation of stir bar sorptive extraction followed by thermal desorption for the determination of brominated flame retardants in water samples

A method for the determination of polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) and polybrominated biphenyls (PBBs) in water samples is proposed. The method involving stir bar sorptive extraction (SBSE) and thermal desorption followed by gas chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry was optimised using statistical design of experiments. In the first place, the influence of different polydimethylsiloxane stir bars was studied. A Plackett–Burman design was chosen to estimate the influence of five factors on the efficiency of the SBSE process: desorption time (5–10 min), desorption temperature (250–300 °C), desorption flow (50–100 mL min⁻¹), cryofocusing temperature (-130 to 40 °C) and vent pressure (0–12.8 psi). Afterwards, two central composite designs were used to find the optimal process settings that were applied to the optimisation of both desorption and extraction efficiency. In the case of the desorption parameters, long desorption times (10 min) and desorption flows lower than 70 mL min^-1 yielded the best signals for the majority of compounds. However, different behaviour among the analytes was observed for the vent pressure and we decided to fix it at an intermediate value (7 psi). In the case of extraction parameters, the sample volume and the addition of NaCl did not have a significant effect, while the addition of methanol yielded better extraction responses. Remarkable recovery (82–106%) and repeatability (less than 18%) were attained. Furthermore, excellent regression coefficients (r ² = 0.991–0.999) and low detection limits (1.1–6.0 ng L⁻¹) were also achieved for the congeners studied. The proposed method was applied to the analyses of PBDEs and PBBs in waters from the Basque Country, Spain.     

Study on an on-line molecularly imprinted solid-phase extraction coupled to high-performance liquid chromatography for separation and determination of trace estrone in environment

Estrone is one of the important potential endocrine-disrupting compounds, and the sensitive and reliable analytical methods for the determination of estrone are required for the assurance of human health. In this paper, using estrone as template molecule, 3-aminopropyltriethoxysilane as function monomer, and tetraethoxysilicane as cross-linker, a highly selective molecularly imprinted microsphere was synthesized by surface molecular imprinting technique combined with a sol–gel process. The imprinted material was characterized by the Fourier transform infrared and static adsorption experiments, and the results showed that it exhibited good recognition and selective ability for estrone. A novel method for separation and determination of trace estrone in environmental sample was developed using on-line molecularly imprinted solid-phase extraction coupled to high-performance liquid chromatography. With a sample loading flow rate of 2.6 mL min⁻¹ for a 9.6-min extraction, the enrichment factor obtained by the slopes of the linear portion in comparison with the direct injection of 10 μL standard sample solution was 1,045. The detection limit (S/N = 3) was 5.7 ng L⁻¹, and the relative standard deviations for nine replicate extractions of 5.0 μg L⁻¹ estrone was less than 10.0%. This method was evaluated for quantitative determination of estrone in well and lake water samples spiked at two levels (0.5 and 1.0 μg L⁻¹) with recoveries ranging from 86% to 95%.      

Preconcentration and separation of Cr(III) and Cr(VI) using sawdust as a sorbent

A simple, inexpensive method based on solid-phase extraction (SPE) on sawdust from Cedrus deodera has been developed for speciation of Cr(III) and Cr(VI) in environmental water samples. Because different exchange capacities were observed for the two forms of chromium at different pH—Cr(III) was selectively retained at pH 3 to 4 whereas Cr(VI) was retained at pH 1—complete separation of the two forms of chromium is possible. Retained species were eluted with 2.5 mL 0.1 mol L⁻¹ HCl and 0.1 mol L⁻¹ NaOH. Detection limits of 0.05 and 0.04 μg mL⁻¹ were achieved for Cr(III) and Cr(VI), respectively, with enrichment factors of 100 and 80. Recovery was quantitative using 250 mL sample volume for Cr(III) and 200 mL for Cr(VI). Different kinetic and thermodynamic properties that affect sorption of the chromium species on the sawdust were also determined. Metal ion concentration was measured as the Cr(VI)–diphenylcarbazide complex by UV–visible spectroscopy. The method was successfully applied for speciation of chromium in environmental and industrial water samples.     

Screen-printed sensor for batch and flow injection potentiometric chromium(VI) monitoring

A disposable screen-printed electrode was designed and evaluated for direct detection of chromium(VI) in batch and flow analysis. The carbon screen-printed electrode was modified with a graphite–epoxy composite. The optimal graphite–epoxy matrix contains 37.5% graphite powder, 12.5% diphenylcarbohydrazide, a selective compound for chromium(VI), and 50% epoxy resin. The principal analytical parameters of the potentiometric response in batch and flow analysis were optimized and calculated. The screen-printed sensor exhibits a response time of 20 ± 1 s. In flow analysis, the analytical frequency of sampling is 70 injections per hour using 0.1 M NaNO₃ solution at pH 3 as the carrier, a flow rate of 2.5 mL·min⁻¹, and an injection sample volume of 0.50 mL. The sensor shows potentiometric responses that are very selective for chromium(VI) ions and optimal detection limits in both static mode (2.1 × 10⁻⁷ M) and online analysis (9.4 × 10⁻⁷ M). The disposable potentiometric sensor was employed to determine toxicity levels of chromium(VI) in mineral, tap, and river waters by flow-injection potentiometry and batch potentiometry. Chromium(VI) determination was also carried out with successful results in leachates from municipal solid waste landfills.     

Determination of Trihalomethanes in Drinking Water by Dispersive Liquid–Liquid Microextraction then Gas Chromatography with Electron-Capture Detection

Dispersive liquid–liquid microextraction (DLLME) has been used for preconcentration of trihalomethanes (THMs) in drinking water. In DLLME an appropriate mixture of an extraction solvent (20.0 μL carbon disulfide) and a disperser solvent (0.50 mL acetone) was used to form a cloudy solution from a 5.00-mL aqueous sample containing the analytes. After phase separation by centrifugation the enriched analytes in the settled phase (6.5 ± 0.3 μL) were determined by gas chromatography with electron-capture detection (GC–ECD). Different experimental conditions, for example type and volume of extraction solvent, type and volume of disperser solvent, extraction time, and use of salt, were investigated. After optimization of the conditions the enrichment factor ranged from 116 to 355 and the limit of detection from 0.005 to 0.040 μg L⁻¹. The linear range was 0.01–50 μg L⁻¹ (more than three orders of magnitude). Relative standard deviations (RSDs) for 2.00 μg L⁻¹ THMs in water, with internal standard, were in the range 1.3–5.9% (n = 5); without internal standard they were in the range 3.7–8.6% (n = 5). The method was successfully used for extraction and determination of THMs in drinking water. The results showed that total concentrations of THMs in drinking water from two areas of Tehran, Iran, were approximately 10.9 and 14.1 μg L⁻¹. Relative recoveries from samples of drinking water spiked at levels of 2.00 and 5.00 μg L⁻¹ were 95.0–107.8 and 92.2–100.9%, respectively. Comparison of this method with other methods indicates DLLME is a very simple and rapid (less than 2 min) method which requires a small volume of sample (5 mL).     

On-line ionic imprinted polymer selective solid-phase extraction of nickel and lead from seawater and their determination by inductively coupled plasma-optical emission spectrometry

Nickel(II) and lead(II) ionic imprinted 8-hydroxyquinoline polymers were synthesized by a precipitation polymerization technique and were used as selective solid phase extraction supports for the determination of nickel and lead in seawater by flow injection solid phase extraction on-line inductively coupled plasma-optical emission spectrometry. An optimum loading flow rate of 2.25 mL min⁻¹ for 2 min and an elution flow rate of 2.25 mL min⁻¹ for 1 min gave an enrichment factor of 15 for nickel. However, a low dynamic capacity and/or rate for adsorption and desorption was found for lead ionic imprinted polymer and a flow rate of 3.00 mL min⁻¹ for 4-min loading and a flow rate of 2.25 mL min⁻¹ for 1-min elution gave a enrichment factor of 5. The limit of detection was 0.33 μg L⁻¹ for nickel and 1.88 μg L⁻¹ for lead, with a precision (n = 11) of 8% (2.37 μg Ni L⁻¹) for nickel and 11% (8.38 μg Pb L⁻¹) for lead. Accuracy was also assessed by analyzing SLEW-3 (estuarine water) and TM-24 (lake water) certified reference materials, and the values determined were in good agreement with the certified concentrations.     

RP-HPLC determination of midecamycin and related impurities

Summary A method has been developed for separation and quantitation of midecamycin A₁ and related impurities by high-performance liquid chromatography with evaporative light-scattering detection (ELSD). Chromatographic conditions included use of a Diamonsil C₁₈ column; the mobile phase was 52:48 acetonitrile −0.2 mol L⁻¹ ammonium formate solution (adjusted to pH 7.3 with triethylamine) at a flow rate of 1 mL min⁻¹. The column temperature was 35°C, the shift tube temperature of the ELSD was 105°C, and the gas flow rate of the ELSD was 3.0 L min⁻¹. The response factors of midecamycins in HPLC-ELSD were the same; the linear equation wasy=599292.44x+2868618.04,r=0.9979, the linear range was 5–80 μg,RSD=0.21–1.54%, and theLOD andLOQ were 0.36 and 1.2 μg, respectively. The method was simple, quick, and precise and could be used to determine midecamycin and its related impurities directly.     

Thiourea catalysis of MeHg ligand exchange between natural dissolved organic matter and a thiol-functionalized resin: a novel method of matrix removal and MeHg preconcentration for ultratrace Hg speciation analysis in freshwaters

Ultratrace analysis of dissolved MeHg in freshwaters requires both dissociation of MeHg from strong ligands in the sample matrix and preconcentration for detection. Existing solid phase extraction methods generally do not efficiently adsorb MeHg from samples containing high concentrations of natural dissolved organic matter. We demonstrate here that the addition of 10–60 mM thiourea (TU) quantitatively releases MeHg from the dissolved matrix of freshwater samples by forming a more labile complex (MeHgTU⁺) that quantitatively exchanges MeHg with thiol-functionalized resins at pH∼3.5 during column loading. The contents of these columns were efficiently eluted with acidified TU and MeHg was analyzed by Hg–TU complex ion chromatography with cold-vapor atomic fluorescence spectrometry detection. Routinely more than 90% of MeHg was recovered with good precision (average relative standard deviation of 6%) from natural waters—obtained from pools and saturated sediments of wetlands and from rivers—containing up to 68.7 mg C L⁻¹ dissolved organic matter. With the preconcentration step, the method detection limit of 0.29 pg absolute or 0.007 ng L⁻¹ in 40-mL samples is equivalent to that of the current state-of-the- art as practiced by skilled analysts. MeHg in 20–50-mL samples was completely trapped. On the basis of our knowledge of the chemistry of the process, breakthrough volume should depend on the concentrations of TU and H⁺. At a TU concentration of 12 mM breakthrough occurred between 50 and 100 mL, but overall adsorption efficiency was still 85% at 100 mL. Formation of artifactual MeHg is minimal; only about 0.7% of ambient MeHg is artifactual as estimated from samples spiked with 4 μg L⁻¹ Hg^II.     

Non-isothermal kinetic analysis and feasibilty study of medium grade crude oil field

In this research, non-isothermal kinetics and feasibility study of medium grade crude oil is studied in the presence of a limestone matrix. Experiments were performed at a heating rate of 10°C min⁻¹, whereas the air flow rate was kept constant at 50 mL min⁻¹ in the temperature range of 20 to 600°C (DSC) and 20 to 900°C (TG). In combustion with air, three distinct reaction regions were identified in all crude oil/limestone mixtures, known as low temperature oxidation (LTO), fuel deposition (FD) and high temperature oxidation (HTO). The activation energy values were in the order of 5–9 kJ mol⁻¹ in LTO region and 189–229 kJ mol⁻¹ in HTO region. It was concluded that the medium grade crude oil field was not feasible for a self-sustained combustion process.     

Solid-phase extraction and determination of ultra trace amounts of lead,mercury and cadmium in water samples using octadecyl silica membrane disks modified with 5,5′-dithiobis(2-nitrobenzoic acid) and atomic absorption spectrometry

A simple and fast method for preconcentration and determination of ultra trace amounts of lead(II), mercury(II) and cadmium(II) in water samples is presented. Lead, mercury and cadmium adsorbed quantitatively during passage of water samples (pH?=?7, flow rate?=?20 mL min^?1) through octadecyl silica membrane disks modified with 5,5′-dithiobis(2-nitrobenzoic acid). The retained lead, mercury and cadmium are then stripped from the disk with a minimal amount of 1 M hydrochloric acid solution as eluent, and determined by atomic absorption spectrometry. The influence of flow rates of the eluent and sample solution, the amount of ligand, type and least amount of eluent, pH of sample, effect of other ions and breakthrough volume are determined. The breakthrough volume of the method is greater than 2000 mL for lead and greater than 1500 mL for mercury and cadmium, which results in an enrichment factor of 200 for lead and an enrichment factor of 150 for both mercury and cadmium. The limit of detection of the proposed method is 177, 2 and 13 ng l^?1 for lead, mercury and cadmium, respectively.     

Simultaneous determination of base/neutral and acid herbicides in natural water at the part per trillion level

Summary A new method for the simultaneous identification and quantification of base/neutral and acidic pesticides at a low nanogram per liter concentration level in natural waters is presented. The method includes enrichment of the compounds by solid phase extraction on graphitized carbon black, followed by sequential elution of the base/neutral and acidic pesticides. Identification and quantification of the compounds is performed with HPLC-ESI-MS. This procedure involves passing 1 L of ground water and 2 L of drinking water samples through a 0.5 g graphitized carbon black (GCB) extraction cartridge. A conventional 4.6-mm-i.d. reversed phase LC C-18 operating with a 1 mL min⁻¹ flow of the mobile phase was used to chromatograph the analytes. A flow of 100 μL min⁻¹ of the column effluent was diverted to the ESI source. The ESI source was operated in positive ion mode for base/neutral pesticides and in negative-ion mode for acid pesticides. For the analyte considered, the response of the mass detector was linearly related to the amount of the analytes injected between 5 and 250 ng. In all cases, recoveries of the analytes were better than 90%. The limit of detection (signal-to-noise ratio=3) of the method for the pesticides considered in drinking water samples was estimated to be about 3–10 ng L⁻¹.