Multiresidue determination of acidic pesticides in water by HPLC-DAD with confirmation by GC-MS using conversion to the methyl ester with trimethylsilyldiazomethane

A multiresidue pesticide methodology is studied and results for acidics are reported here, with base/neutral to follow. This work studies a literature procedure as a possible general approach to many pesticides and potentially other analytes that are considered to be liquid chromatographic (LC) candidates, rather than gas chromatographic (GC) ones. The analysis of the sewage effluent of a major southwestern U.S. city serves as an example of the application of the methodology to a real sample. Recovery studies were also conducted to validate the proposed extraction step. A gradient elution program was followed for the high-performance LC (HPLC) leading to a general approach for acidics. Confirmation of identity was by electron ionization-GC-mass spectrometry (MS) after conversion of the acids to the methyl ester (or other appropriate methylation) by means of trimethylsilyldiazomethane. The 3,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid is used as an internal standard to monitor the reaction, and polychlorobiphenyl #19 is used for the quantitation internal standard. Although others have reported similar analyses of acids, conversion to the methyl ester is by means of diazomethane itself, rather than by the more convenient and safe trimethylsilyldiazomethane. Thus, the present paper supports the use of trimethylsilyldiazomethane with all of these acids (trimethylsilyldiazomethane has been used in environmental work with some phenoxyacetic acid herbicides) and further supports the usefulness of this reagent as a potential replacement for diazomethane. The HPLC approach here could also serve as the separation basis for an LC-MS solution for confirmation of identity, as well as quantitation.