On-line coupling of solid-phase extraction to liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry for the determination of macrolide antibiotics in environmental water

An automated on-line solid-phase extraction-liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (SPE-LC-MS/MS) system was developed for the determination of macrolide antibiotics including erythromycin (ETM), roxithromycin (RTM), tylosin (TLS) and tilmicosin (TMC) in environmental water samples. A Capcell Pak MF Ph-1 column packed with restricted access material (RAM) was used as SPE column for the concentration of the analytes and clean-up of the sample. One milliliter water sample was injected into the conditioned SPE column and the matrix was washed out with 3 mL high purity water. By rotation of the switching valve, macrolides (MLs) were eluted in the back-flush mode and transferred to the analytical column by the chromatographic mobile phase. The matrix effect was evaluated by the directly injection LC-MS and on-line SPE-LC-MS methods. The limits of detection (LODs) and limits of quantification (LOQs) obtained are in the range of 2-6 and 7-20 ng L⁻¹, respectively, which means that the proposed method is suitable for trace analysis of MLs at low level concentration. The intra- and inter-day precisions are in the range of 2.9-7.2% and 3.3-8.9%, respectively. In the three fortified levels (20, 200 and 2000 ng L⁻¹), recoveries of MLs ranging from 86.5% to 98.3% are obtained.     

The determination of organochlorine pesticides based on dynamic microwave-assisted extraction coupled with on-line solid-phase extraction of high-performance liquid chromatography

A rapid technique based on dynamic microwave-assisted extraction coupled with on-line solid-phase extraction of high-performance liquid chromatography (DMAE-SPE-HPLC) has been developed. A TM₀₁₀ microwave resonance cavity built in the laboratory was applied to concentrate the microwave energy. The sample placed in the zone of microwave irradiation was extracted with 95% acetonitrile (ACN) aqueous solution which was driven by a peristaltic pump at a flow rate of 1.0 mL min⁻¹. The extraction can be completed in a recirculating system in 10 min. When a number of extraction cycles were completed, the extract (1 mL) was diluted on-line with water. Then the extract was loaded into an SPE column where the analytes were retained while the unretained matrix components were washed away. Subsequently, the analytes were automatically transferred from the SPE column to the analytical column and determined by UV detector at 238 nm. The technique was used for determination of organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) in grains, including wheat, rice, corn and bean. The limits of detection of OCPs are in the range of 19-37 ng g⁻¹. The recoveries obtained by analyzing the four spiked grain samples are in the range of 86-105%, whereas the relative standard deviation (R.S.D.) values are <8.7% ranging from 1.2 to 8.7%. Our method was demonstrated to be fast, accurate, and precise. In addition, only small quantities of solvent and sample were required.     

Automatic sample preparation of sulfonamide antibiotic residues in chicken breast muscle by using dynamic microwave-assisted extraction coupled with solid-phase extraction

In the work, a rapid, simple and high-throughput sample preparation method was developed for the determination of sulfonamide (SA) antibiotic residues in chicken breast muscle. The extraction and clean-up were online combined and up to 20 samples can be treated simultaneously in 6 min. The SAs were first extracted with acetonitrile under the action of microwave energy, and then the extract was directly introduced into the SPE column for on-line clean-up and concentration. Subsequently, the SAs eluted from the SPE column were determined by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. The precisions of extraction results of 20 samples were in the range of 4.9-7.4%. The limits of detection and quantification obtained were in the range of 2.4-3.6 ng/g and 8.6-11.3 ng/g for SAs, respectively. The recoveries of SAs obtained by analyzing chicken muscles at three fortified levels (10, 50 and 500 ng/g) were in the range of 82.6-93.2%. The results of the validation process prove that the proposed method is suitable for treating numbers of complex samples simultaneously in a short time.     

Determination of ethyl-glucuronide in hair for heavy drinking detection using liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry following solid-phase extraction

The detection of ethyl-β-d-6-glucuronide (EtG), a stable phase II metabolite of ethanol, is of interest in both clinical and forensic contexts with the aim of monitoring alcohol abuse. We present a liquid chromatography-electrospray ionisation-tandem mass spectrometry method for the detection and quantification of EtG in hair. Thirty milligrams of washed and cut hair were cleaned up using solid-phase extraction graphite cartridges. Separation was then performed using an Uptisphere-3SI column, and the detection was operated in the negative mode. After validation, the method was applied to hair samples taken from four fatalities (F) with documented excessive drinking habits, 12 heavy drinkers (HD) and seven social drinkers (SD). The method exhibits limits of detection and quantification of 4 and 10 pg/mg, respectively. Intra- and inter-assay standard deviation and relative bias were less than 20% over the calibrating range (10 to 3,000 pg/mg). EtG hair concentrations in SD were <10 pg/mg and >50 pg/mg for F and HD (range, 54 to 497 pg/mg). The present assay appears convenient to carry out owing to the very small quantity of hair samples required to determine an effective heavy alcohol consumption (EtG hair concentration >50 pg/mg).     

Focused microwave-assisted micellar extraction combined with solid-phase microextraction--gas chromatography/mass spectrometry to determine chlorophenols in wood samples

This work describes the utilization of the focused microwave-assisted micellar extraction in combination with the solid-phase microextraction (SPME) to determine chlorophenols in wood samples. The influence of the nature of the surfactant in the extraction process, the optimization of the variables of the focused-microwave system, and the effect of the ageing time of the samples in the extraction efficiency of the method, have been assessed in this study. The overall method using the non-ionic surfactant POLE as extracting medium allows us to determine chlorophenols in wood samples achieving an average extraction efficiency of 104.1%, limits of detection ranging from 2 to 120 ng g⁻¹, and intermediate precision values ranging between 3.5 and 13.2%. The proposed method is also characterized by short analysis times (around 5 min for the microwaves extraction step) and by avoiding the use of organic solvents.     

固相萃取-高效液相色谱-串联质谱法同时测定养殖海水中23种抗生素

建立了固相萃取-高效液相色谱-串联质谱(SPE-HPLC-MS/MS)同时检测水中6类23种抗生素的分析方法。水样用固相萃取柱富集净化,通过对比水样在不同上样pH、洗脱液用量等条件下的回收率,优化了前处理方法。采用0.1%(v/v)甲酸-1 g/L甲酸铵水溶液和甲醇-乙腈(1:1, v/v)体系作为流动相,经过梯度洗脱进行分离,在HPLC-MS/MS多反应监测模式下进行定性定量分析。结果显示,23种抗生素的方法检出限(MDL)范围为0.1~2.9 ng/L,加标回收率为47.3%~132.6%。采用该方法对东营海水养殖区5个养殖池水样进行了检测,除青霉素类之外的各类抗生素均有检出,其中磺胺增效剂甲氧苄氨嘧啶的检出率达100%,氯霉素类抗生素氟甲砜霉素检出的最高质量浓度达到261.0 ng/L。结果表明,所建立的方法高效、灵敏、可靠,可用于海水中多种抗生素的分析。     

A self-assembly pipette tip graphene solid-phase extraction coupled with liquid chromatography for the determination of three sulfonamides in environmental water

A sensitive, economical, and miniaturized self-assembly pipette tip graphene solid-phase extraction (PT-G-SPE) coupled with liquid chromatography fluorescence detection (LC-FD) was developed for rapid extraction and determination of three sulfonamide antibiotics (SAs) in environmental water samples. The PT-G-SPE cartridge, assembled by packing 1.0 mg of graphene as sorbent into a 100 μL pipette tip, showed high adsorption capacity for the SAs owing to the large surface area and unique structure of graphene. The factors that affected the extraction efficiency of PT-G-SPE, including sample volume, pH, sorbent amount, washing solvent and eluent solvent were optimized. Good linearity for SAs was obtained in a range of 2–4000 pg mL⁻¹ with correlation coefficients (r²) ≥ 0.9993. The recoveries of the SAs at three spiked levels ranged from 90.4% to 108.2% with relative standard deviations (RSD) ≤ 6.3%. In comparison with other sorbents such as C₁₈, HLB, SCX, PCX, and multiwalled carbon nanotubes, one advantage of using graphene as sorbent of pipette tip solid-phase extraction (PT-SPE) was that PT-G-SPE could adsorb larger sample volume (10 mL) at a small amount of sorbent (1 mg) and low solvent consumption with good extraction efficiency, which not only increased the fraction of analytes to LC and the sensitivity of SAs determination, but also reduced the cost and pollution.     

固相萃取-超高效液相色谱-电喷雾串联质谱法测定调味品中的罗丹明B

利用超高效液相色谱-电喷雾串联质谱(UPLC-MS/MS)方法测定了调味品中罗丹明B。样品经乙腈-乙酸水溶液提取后,经固相萃取(SPE)柱净化,采用BEH C18柱分离,以乙腈和0.2%的甲酸水溶液为流动相进行梯度洗脱,采用正离子、多反应监测(MRM)模式进行定性定量测定。罗丹明B在0.5～500μg/L质量浓度范围内线性关系良好,相关系数r为0.999,检出限、定量限分别为0.03,0.10μg/kg;平均回收率为86.6%～95.7%,标准偏差小于10%。方法适用于调味品中罗丹明B的测定。     

Robust microwave-assisted extraction protocol for determination of total mercury and methylmercury in fish tissues

A rapid and efficient closed vessel microwave-assisted extraction (MAE) method based on acidic leaching was developed and optimized for the extraction of total mercury (Hg), inorganic mercury (Hg²⁺) and methylmercury (CH₃Hg⁺) from fish tissues. The quantitative extraction of total Hg and mercury species from biological samples was achieved by using 5 mol L⁻¹ HCl and 0.25 mol L⁻¹ NaCl during 10 min at 60 °C. Total Hg content was determined using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). Mercury species were measured by liquid chromatography hyphenated with inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (LC-ICP-MS). The method was validated using biological certified reference materials ERM-CE464, DOLT-3, and NIST SRM-1946. The analytical results were in good agreement with the certified reference values of total Hg and CH₃Hg⁺ at a 95% confidence level. Further, accuracy validation using speciated isotope-dilution mass spectrometry (SIDMS, as described in the EPA Method 6800) was carried out. SIDMS was also applied to study and correct for unwanted species transformation reactions during and/or after sample preparation steps. For the studied reference materials, no statistically significant transformation between mercury species was observed during the extraction and determination procedures. The proposed method was successfully applied to fish tissues with good agreement between SIDMS results and external calibration (EC) results. Interspecies transformations in fish tissues were slightly higher than certified reference materials due to differences in matrix composition. Depending on the type of fish tissue, up to 10.24% of Hg²⁺ was methylated and up to 1.75% of CH₃Hg⁺ was demethylated to Hg²⁺.     

超高效液相色谱-串联质谱法同时测定土壤中30种抗生素

土壤基质复杂,土壤中残留的抗生素种类繁多,浓度多为痕量水平,高灵敏度的仪器方法、有效的净化和富集方法、多种类抗生素的同时检测是土壤中抗生素检测的重点和难点.该研究建立了固相萃取-超高效液相色谱-串联质谱法同时测定土壤中7类(磺胺类、氟喹诺酮类、四环素类、大环内酯类、β-内酰胺类、酰胺醇类和林可酰胺类)30种抗生素的方法...     

在线固相萃取净化-液相色谱-串联质谱法测定猪肉中10种大环内酯类抗生素

建立了在线固相萃取净化-液相色谱-串联质谱检测猪肉中10种大环内酯类抗生素残留的方法。样品经过乙腈提取,提取液40℃旋蒸至干后,分析物用2 mL磷酸盐缓冲液溶解,溶解液经在线固相萃取柱(HLB柱)富集净化,甲醇洗脱,然后转移至XBridge BEH C18色谱柱上,以10 mmol/L乙酸铵水溶液和乙腈溶液为流动相进行分离,最后用串联四极杆质谱检测。结果表明,10种大环内酯类抗生素在0.1~200μg/L范围内呈现良好的线性关系,相关系数均大于0.990。方法的检出限范围为0.05~0.30μg/kg,定量限范围为0.10~1.00μg/kg;添加水平为0.10~10.0μg/kg时,方法回收率为69.6%~115.2%,相对标准偏差(RSD)10%。该方法可以作为猪肉中大环内酯类抗生素的检测方法。     

Determination of chloro-s-triazines including didealkylatrazine using solid-phase extraction coupled with gas chromatography-mass spectrometry

Chloro-s-triazines are a class of compounds comprising atrazine, simazine, propazine, cyanazine and their chlorinated metabolites. The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has determined that selected chloro-s-triazines--atrazine, simazine, propazine, deethylatrazine, deisopropylatrazine, and didealkylatrazine--have a common mode of toxicity related to endocrine disruption. In this paper, a dual-resin solid-phase extraction (SPE) gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) method is reported that provides for each of these chloro-s-triazines including the polar metabolite, didealkylatrazine. The method utilizes deuterated internal standards for quantitation and terbuthylazine as a recovery standard. The limit-of-detection was 0.01 microg/L for simazine, deethylatrazine, deisopropylatrazine and didealkylatrazine, and 0.02 microg/L for atrazine and propazine in surface water. Mean recoveries for 0.5 and 3.0 microg/L spikes for atrazine, simazine, propazine, deethylatrazine, deisopropylatrazine and didealkylatrazine were 94, 104, 103, 110, 108 and 102%, respectively, in surface water. The method was also validated by matrix spikes into fourteen different raw and treated natural surface waters. This method is useful for monitoring "total chloro-s-triazines" in both raw and treated drinking waters.     

On-line molecularly imprinted solid-phase extraction for the selective spectrophotometric determination of nicotine in the urine of smokers

This work describes an on-line molecularly imprinted solid-phase extraction (MISPE) method for spectrophotometric determination of nicotine in urine samples of smokers. This method is based on manganese (VII) to manganese (VI) reduction in an alkaline medium, promoted by nicotine. Two wash solutions (1:4 (v/v) acetonitrile:sodium hydroxide - pH 11.4, and nitric acid - pH 2.5) were employed to circumvent interferences. Aqueous solutions containing nicotine plus different possible concomitants (cotinine, anabasine, norcotinine and caffeine) were tested individually. The analytical calibration curve was prepared in urine samples collected from non-smokers and spiked with nicotine standard from 1.1 to 60 μmol L⁻¹ (r² > 0.998). The limit of quantification and the analytical frequency were 1.1 μmol L⁻¹ and 11 h⁻¹, respectively. The precision, evaluated using 3, 10 and 30 μmol L⁻¹ nicotine in urine, was 10, 10 and 4% (intra-day precision) and 12, 13 and 5% (inter-day precision), respectively. Accuracy was checked through high performance liquid chromatography and the results did not present significant differences at the 95% confidence level according to the Student's t-test.     

Innovative combination of QuEChERS extraction with on-line solid-phase extract purification and pre-concentration,followed by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry for the determination of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs and their metabolites in sewage sludge

For the first time QuEChERS extraction of sewage sludge was combined with the automatic solid-phase pre-concentration and purification of the extract (following indicated as SPE) and LC-MS/MS analysis, for the determination of the non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs acetylsalicylic acid (ASA), diclofenac (DIC), fenbufen (FEN), flurbiprofen (FLU), ketoprofen (KET), ibuprofen (IBU) and naproxen (NAP), and their metabolites salicylic acid (SAL), 4′-hydroxydiclofenac (4′-HYDIC), 1-hydroxyibuprofen (1-HYIBU), 2-hydroxyibuprofen (2-HYIBU), 3-hydroxyibuprofen (3-HYIBU) and o-desmethylnaproxen (O-DMNAP). Various commercial pellicular stationary phases (i.e. silica gel functionalized with octadecyl, biphenyl, phenylhexyl and pentafluorophenyl groups) were preliminarily investigated for the resolution of target analytes and different sorbent phases (i.e. octyl or octadecyl functionalized silica gel and a polymeric phase functionalized with N-benzylpyrrolidone groups) were tested for the SPE phase. The optimized method involves the QuEChERS extraction of 1 g of freeze-dried sludge with 15 mL of water/acetonitrile 1/2 (v/v), the SPE of the extract with the N-benzylpyrrolidone polymeric phase and the water/acetonitrile gradient elution on the pentafluorophenyl stationary phase at room temperature. Matrix effect was always suppressive and in most cases low, being it ≤20% for ASA, DIC, FLU, KET, IBU, 1-HYIBU, 2-HYIBU, 3-HYIBU, NAP and O-DMNAP, and included in the range of 35–47% for the other analytes. Recoveries were evaluated at three spiking levels, evidencing almost quantitative values for HYIBUs and O-DMNAP; for ASA, SAL and KET the recoveries were included in between 50 and 76%, whereas for the other compounds they ranged from 36% to 55%. The proposed method showed better analytical performances than those so far published, being suitable for target compound determination in real samples from tens of pg g⁻¹ to ng g⁻¹ of freeze-dried sludge, with a total analysis time of 30 min per sample.     

Determination of fluoroquinolone antibiotics in environmental water samples based on magnetic molecularly imprinted polymer extraction followed by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry

A simple method based on magnetic separation for selective extraction of fluoroquinolones (FQs) from environmental water samples has been developed using magnetic molecularly imprinted polymer (MMIP) as sorbent. The MMIP has been prepared using ciprofloxacin as template molecule, methacrylic acid as functional monomer, ethylene glycol dimethacrylate as cross-linking agent and Fe₃O₄ magnetite as magnetic component. The polymer has been characterized by scanning electron microscopy, Fourier-transform infrared spectrometry and vibrating sample magnetometry. Various parameters affecting the extraction efficiency were evaluated in order to achieve optimal concentration and reduce non-specific interactions. The analytes desorbed from the polymers were determined by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. The matrix effect was evaluated by using different washing solvents for removing interfering compounds from the MMIPs after sample loading. Under the optimal conditions, the linearity of the method obtained is in the range of 20-2000 ng L⁻¹. The detection limits of FQs are in the range of 3.2-6.2 ng L⁻¹. The relative standard deviations of intra- and inter-day tests ranging from 2.5 to 7.2% and from 3.6 to 9.1% are obtained. In all three spiked levels (20, 100 and 200 ng L⁻¹), the recoveries of FQs are in the range of 76.3-94.2%. The proposed method was successfully applied to determine FQs including ciprofloxacin, enrofloxacin, lomefloxacin, levofloxacin, fleroxacin and sparfloxacin in different water samples, such as lake water, river water, primary and final sewage effluent. Ciprofloxacin and fleroxacin were found in primary and final sewage effluent samples with the contents in the range of 26-87 ng L⁻¹.     

Determination of neonicotinoid pesticides residues in agricultural samples by solid-phase extraction combined with liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry

This work reports a new sensitive multi-residue liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) method for detection, confirmation and quantification of six neonicotinoid pesticides (dinotefuran, thiamethoxam, clothiandin, imidacloprid, acetamiprid and thiacloprid) in agricultural samples (chestnut, shallot, ginger and tea). Activated carbon and HLB solid-phase extraction cartridges were used for cleaning up the extracts. Analysis is performed by LC-MS/MS operated in the multiple reaction monitoring (MRM) mode, acquiring two specific precursor-product ion transitions per target compound. Quantification was carried by the internal standard method with D(4)-labeled imidacloprid. The method showed excellent linearity (R(2)≥0.9991) and precision (relative standard deviation, RSD≤8.6%) for all compounds. Limits of quantification (LOQs) were 0.01 mg kg(-1) for chestnut, shallot, ginger sample and 0.02 mg kg(-1) for tea sample. The average recoveries, measured at three concentrations levels (0.01 mg kg(-1), 0.02 mg kg(-1) and 0.1 mg kg(-1) for chestnut, shallot, ginger sample, 0.02 mg kg(-1), 0.04 mg kg(-1) and 0.2 mg kg(-1) for tea sample), were in the range 82.1-108.5%. The method was satisfactorily validated for the analysis of 150 agricultural samples (chestnut, shallot, ginger and tea). Imidacloprid and acetamiprid were detected at concentration levels ranging from 0.05 to 3.6 mg kg(-1).     

On-line coupling of solid-phase extraction to high-performance liquid chromatography for determination of estrogens in environment

A method based on on-line solid-phase extraction (SPE) coupling to high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) for the determination of estrogens has been developed. This method can continuously perform extraction of estrone, estradiol, estriol and diethylstilbestrol from aqueous samples without any other pretreatment, which can then be analyzed by HPLC with a UV detector at 230 nm. A pre-concentration column was adapted with methanol/water for chromatographic separation and two kinds of sorbents were involved, which are octadecyl-bonded silica and cigarette filter. The condition of pH of samples, sample loading flow rate and desorption time were all optimized, and the performances of both two sorbents were satisfactory. The on-line SPE system requires very low maintenance and just involved a switching-valve-filter system and a flow-inject pump, and the operation of the whole SPE-HPLC instrumentation is quite simple. The detection limits for pre-concentrating 50 mL of standard solution using cigarette filter as sorbent ranged from 0.98 to 78.1 ng L⁻¹. The enhancement factors were in the range of 197-326. The recoveries of estrogens spiked in real water samples ranged from 85 to 112%. The precisions for nine replicate measurements of a standard mixture (5.0 μg L⁻¹) were in the range of 1.0-3.4%.     

Improved extraction and clean-up of imidazolinone herbicides from soil solutions using different solid-phase sorbents

Extraction and quantification of herbicide residues from soil are important in understanding the behaviour of persistent herbicides. This research investigated extraction and clean-up methods for imidazolinone herbicides from soil and soil amended with organic material. A series of solvent mixes, pH conditions and sorbents was tested. Across three imidazolinone herbicides: imazapyr, imazethapyr and imazaquin, 0.5 M NaOH extraction gave greater than 90% recovery from soil samples; however, 0.5 M NaOH:MeOH (80:20) resulted in higher recovery for imazaquin, but not for the other two herbicides. Of the sorbents tested, the use of chromatographic mode sequencing using C₁₈ and SCX sorbents provided consistent high (>85%) recovery of all three herbicides from soil and separation of the herbicides from other soil components by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). These two methods will allow high recovery of these imidazolinone herbicides from soil and have the ability to detect these herbicides without interference from other soil components.     

Microwave-assisted micro-solid-phase extraction for analysis of tetracycline antibiotics in environmental samples

In this study, a novel solid-liquid-solid extraction approach, which was termed ‘microwave-assisted micro-solid-phase extraction’ (MAE-μ-SPE), was developed. Target analytes were extracted from the sample into extraction solvent enhanced by microwave field, following adsorption by the adsorbent in the micro-solid-phase extraction device. Without any clean-up steps, the extracts were analysed by high performance liquid chromatography coupled with ultra-violet detector. The MAE-μ-SPE approach was developed for the extraction of four tetracycline antibiotics residues in environmental soil, sludge and atmospheric particulate matters. Variables affecting extraction procedures were systematically investigated. Low detection limits of 0.1–6.3 ng/g and low quantification limits of 0.33–20.7 ng/g were achieved under optimised conditions. The recoveries of antibiotics ranged from 70.6% to 110.5% with relative standard deviation of less than 15.1%. The predominance was showed when compared to conventional MAE and μ-SPE method. According to the results, MAE-μ-SPE was proved to be a simple and effective sample preparation method for the analysis of trace organic contaminants in environmental samples.     

Determination of sugar cane herbicides in soil and soil treated with sugar cane vinasse by solid-phase extraction and HPLC-UV

This work reports on the development and validation of a small-scale and efficient SPE-HPLC-UV method for the simultaneous determination of the most used herbicides (diuron, hexazinone, and tebuthiuron) applied to soil and soil treated with sugar cane vinasse (soil-vinasse) in areas where sugar cane crops are grown in the state of São Paulo, Brazil. The analytical procedure was optimized for solvent extraction and HPLC-UV conditions. Extraction and clean-up were combined in a single step employing solid-phase extraction, avoiding sophisticated techniques, organic-solvent-water mixtures and consequently a longer concentration step. Recovery studies with soil and soil-vinasse samples spiked at two herbicides levels (around 0.25 and 2.0 mg kg⁻¹) and sample stability (sample frozen for 20 days before analysis) were applied as parameters to control the efficiency of the method. Good accuracy and precision were achieved with average recoveries ranging from 78% to 120% and relative standard deviations less than 10% throughout the whole recovery test. The method's limit of detection ranged between 0.025 and 0.050 mg kg⁻¹ for diuron, hexazinone, and tebuthiuron in soil and soil-vinasse. The feasibility of this method was applied to determine the herbicide half-lives (t_1/2) in soil and soil-vinasse in a laboratory study. Sugar cane vinasse added to soil increased the degradation of diuron and tebuthiuron (p < 0.05), reducing the t_1/2 from 80 to 7 days and 128 to 73 days, respectively. This method is presented as an alternative which could be applied to assess herbicide behavior in soil in order to prevent water contamination and to contribute to establish pesticide limits in soil.