The first validated HPLC method for separation and quantification of imiprothrin and deltamethrin in insecticide spray formulation

This work is concerned with novel, accurate and precise determination of two common insecticides, imiprothrin and deltamethrin, using HPLC. The chromatographic conditions were optimised for the best separation. The column was Intersil ODS (4.6 x 250 mm with 5 µm particle size). The mobile phase consists of a mixture of acetonitrile and water (90:10, v/v) at a flow rate of 1.2 mL/min. UV detection was accomplished at 230 nm using chlorpyriphos as an internal standard. The method was validated according to International Conference on Harmonization (ICH) guidelines and was found to be linear over the range 7.5–45 µg/mL for imiprothrin and 5–30 µg/mL for deltamethrin. The method was applied to the assay of both insecticides in the combined spray formulation from the Egyptian market. Statistical comparison between the proposed and the reported methods showed no significant difference. The method can be applied for simultaneous determination of both compounds in different market products with high specificity and in quality control laboratories for insecticide residue monitoring.