High-performance liquid chromatographic mass spectrometric identification of the photoproducts of cymoxanil

The photochemical degradation of the fungicide cymoxanil {2-cyano-N-[(ethylamino)carbonyl]-2-(methoxyimino) acetamide} was studied in aqueous buffer solution (pH 5.9+/- 0.1) under UV light and in laboratory conditions. The degradation followed a pseudo- first-order kinetic with significant correlation coefficient. The main photoproducts were separated and tentatively identified by HPLC/UV and HPLC/MS data, as 3-ethyl-4-(methoxyamino)-2,5-dioxo-4-imidazolidinecarbonitrile, 1-ethyl-5-(methoxyimino)-2,4-imidazolidin-2,4-dione, ethylimidazolidinetrione and {[(ethylamino)carbonyl]-amino}oxoacetic acid. A photolysis pathway of cymoxanil is proposed.     

Determination of cymoxanil in drinking water and soil using high-performance liquid chromatography

We describe a method for determination of cymoxanil, 1-2-cyano-2-methoxy(iminoacetyl)-3-ethylurea, in drinking water and in soil, using reversed-phase HPLC with UV detection at 240 nm and a mobile phase of acetonitrile-water (30:70, v/v). Fortified water samples (1.0 L) were extracted with solid-phase extraction on Strata X. Soil samples (20 g) were extracted with acetone and the extracts were transferred onto Strata C18E. The recoveries of cymoxanil from water and soil samples were over 85% for each fortification level. The RDS were within the range 1.7-4.1% for water and 0.9-1.2% for soil samples. After optimization of the extraction and separation conditions, the method was validated.