Affiliation: | a Maarten Honing and Damià Barceló are at the Department of Environment Chemistry, CID/ CSIC, Jordi Girona 18-26, 08034, Barcelona, Spain a Ben L.M. van Baar is at the Department of Organic Chemstry, Free University, De Boelelaan 1083, 1081 HV, Amsterdam, The Netherlands b Udo A.Th. Brinkman is at the Department of Analytical Chemistry, Free University, De Boelelaan 1083, 1081 HV, Amsterdam, The Netherlands |
Abstract: | Column liquid chromatography with mass spectrometric detection (LC-MS) has been widely accepted as the preferred technique for the identification and quantification of polar and thermally labile compounds at trace levels. Over the last decade many different types of LC-MS interfacing techniques have been used for the determination of carbamate pesticides and especially for the N-methylcarbamate carbofuran. This article addresses the difficulties encountered with the various types of LC-MS interface and discusses recent alternatives for the determination of carbofuran. With thermospray and particle beam interfaces the quantification of carbofuran is affected by both the ion source pressure and temperature, whereas quantification using the recently developed atmospheric pressure ionization interfaces, atmospheric pressure chemical ionization, electrospray, and ionspray, is less dependent on these parameters. |