Adsorption/Desorption of Pesticidal Carboxylate Esters by Switching Liquid Phases on Humic‐Fraction‐Modified Silica Gel Matrix

A humic‐fraction‐modified silica gel is prepared and used as the adsorbent for various pesticidal carboxylate esters in hexane. The percentage of adsorption, calculated on the basis of the difference in peak areas for most carboxylate esters in hexane, reaches more than 90% in 1 h. The FTIR (Fourier Transform Infrared) Spectroscopy results show that the interaction force leading to the adsorption observed in hexane is dipole‐dipole oriented and is affected negatively both by the steric hindrance created due to the presence of the group near the carbonyl center of esters and the bulky alkyl group attached to an ether linkage. The hydrogen bonding (i.e. strong dipole‐dipole interaction) and π‐π stacking complexation are either absent or the minor force responsible for the adsorption of carboxylate esters in hexane in most cases. Other factors that cause the variation in the percentage of adsorption include the type of liquid phase (e.g. ethyl ether or acetonitrile vs. hexane) and the additive of acidic or basic origin present in the matrix, which renders the desorption approach for analyte adsorbed.