Determination of phenoxyacid herbicides in water

Novel clean-up techniques for a polymeric precolumn (PLRP-S) for the subsequent determination of bentazone and eight phenoxy acid herbicides in surface water samples are described. After preconcentration of the components at pH 3 on a 10 x 2 mm I.D. precolumn, the technique consists of a clean-up with 1000 microliters of 0.1 mol/l sodium hydroxide solution (pH 12.5) and of a heartcut consisting of four precolumn bed volumes of eluent directed to waste followed by ten precolumn bed volumes of eluent directed to the analytical column. Analytical separation is performed with acetonitrile-water (30:70) containing 0.005 mol/l of tetrabutylammonium hydrogensulphate (pH 8.3) (which is also the desorption eluent during heartcutting) on a polymeric analytical column (PLRP-S). With 25 ml of surface water, spiked at 0.25 and 1 microgram/l, applied to the precolumn, recoveries for all components were over 85% with a relative standard deviation (n = 5) of ca. 9% at 0.25 microgram/l and ca. 2% at 1 microgram/l. Detection limits in surface water samples are 0.05-0.1 microgram/l. Owing to automation, the total analysis time is ca. 30 min.     

Mass spectrometric confirmation criterion for product-ion spectra generated in flow-injection analysis. Environmental application

The suitability of a confirmation criterion recently recommended in the Netherlands for gas chromatography with mass spectrometric detection (GC–MS), was evaluated for flow-injection analysis (FIA) with atmospheric pressure chemical ionisation MS–MS detection. The main feature of the criterion is that the relative ion abundances of the four diagnostic ions are taken into account. That is, for lower-intensity peaks, relative standard deviations may be higher; this is an advantage with chemical ionisation MS procedures. A series of triazines and their degradation products were used as test compounds. Tap and surface water samples spiked at 0.33 μg/l were analysed by means of a selected reaction monitoring MS–MS procedure. For all analytes but hydroxysimazine (3 transitions), 4–9 transitions could be selected which invariably met the demands of the criterion. Some of the transitions used originate from the ³⁷Cl isotopic mass of the parent compounds which provides additional structural information. Data for twenty surface water samples analysed by means of FIA–MS–MS as well as GC–MS and liquid chromatography with diode array UV and MS–MS detection gave essentially the same results over the 0.1–1.0 μg/l range. In two samples desethylatrazine was reported by FIA–MS–MS whereas this compound was not detected by GC–MS. For a first test, this is a promising result.     

The Use of Various Chromatographic Techniques for the Determination of Phenylurea Herbicides and Their Corresponding Anilines in Environmental Samples,II. Applications

Abstract

In earlier work, various strategies have been developed for the trace-level determination of phenylurea herbicides and the anilines which are their main degradation products. They include catalytic hydrolysis of the phenylureas on silica, liquid chromatographic fractionation of complex mixtures of herbicides and anilines, derivatization of anilines and herbicides with electron-capture-sensitive reagents, and final analysis by means of capillary gas chromatography. In the present paper, the application of these principles to trace-level analysis of surface water, soil and crop samples is demonstrated.     

Determination of polar pesticides with atmospheric pressure chemical ionisation mass spectrometry-mass spectrometry using methanol and/or acetonitrile for solid-phase desorption and gradient liquid chromatography

Thirty-seven polar pesticides, mainly triazines, phenylurea herbicides and phenoxy acids, were determined by LC-atmospheric pressure chemical ionisation MS-MS with methanol and acetonitrile as the organic modifiers. For most pesticides, detection limits were the same irrespective of the modifier. However, for the phenylurea herbicides, propachlor, carbetamide, triadimefon, triadimenol, triethylcitrate, benzothiazole and metazachlor, the results were much poorer in the presence of acetonitrile; in several cases, no meaningful results were obtained at all. When carrying out trace enrichment of 100 ml water samples on a 10x2 mm I.D. solid-phase extraction precolumn containing a polymeric sorbent, rapid desorption with a small volume of pure organic solvent and the introduction of a T-piece in between the solid-phase extraction precolumn and the analytical column was necessary. Aliquots of 300 microl of acetonitrile were optimal for the complete desorption of all analytes from the sorbent. With methanol as the modifier and when using an identification criterion of three ions, the detection limits for most analytes, in the full-scan mode, were 10-100 ng/l. The linearity of the procedure, which was tested at the 0.1 and 1 microg/l levels, was satisfactory in the positive, but not in the negative ionisation mode. The procedures were used to analyse surface water samples.     

Chemoselective Intermolecular α‐Arylation of Amides

A new approach for the fully chemoselective α‐arylation of amides is presented. By means of electrophilic amide activation, aryl groups can be regioselectively introduced α‐ to amides, even in the presence of esters and alkyl ketones. Mechanistic studies reveal key reaction intermediates and emphasize a remarkably subtle base effect in this transformation.