Determination of imazethapyr and imazapyr residues in soil by coupled-column liquid chromatography

Summary A column-switching method using two separation columns combined with UV detection at 260 or 236 nm has been used to determine the imidazolinone herbicides imazethapyr and imazapyr in soils. The residues were extracted from the soil with 0.1 M aqueous sodium carbonate solution and, after adjusting the pH to 2.0, the solution was partitioned with dichloromethane. Limits of determination for imazethapyr and imazapyr were 3 μg/kg. Recoveries were from 55 to 75% for both imidazolinone herbicides in the range 3–100 μg/kg in soil.