Gas chromatographic behaviour of urea herbicides

Summary Gas chromatographic conditions for determining eight phenylurea (chlortoluron, diuron, fluometuron, isoproturon, linuron, metabenzthiazuron, metobromuron and monuron) and one sulfonylurea (chlorsulfuron) herbicides were assessed. Degradation products of the herbicides formed in the injector were used for identification. Most phenylureas formed their respective carbamic acid methyl esters, metabenzthiazuron formed an aminobenzothiazol and chlorsulfuron formed an aminotriazine plus a phenylsulfonamide. On-column injection of standards using a BP10 capillary column was evaluated to identify the chromatographic behaviour. Detection limits ranged from 0.05 ng for chlorsulfuron to 3 ng for monuron with the NPD and, from 0.01 ng for chlorsulfuron to 5 ng for metabenzthiazuron with the ECD. The RSDs (n=4) were lower than 4% at the 12–25 ng level. The method was applied to the analysis of surface waters extracted with C18 Empore disks with recoveries higher than 85%. Each herbicide could be determined in water down to 0.1 μg·L⁻¹. Chlortoluron was found (11.4 μg·L⁻¹) in a water sample and its presence was confimed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry.