High-performance liquid chromatography of s-triazines and their degradation products using ultraviolet photometric and amperometric detection

Development of novel molecularly imprinted solid-phase microextraction fiber and its application for the determination of triazines in complicated samples coupled with high-performance liquid chromatography

A novel molecularly imprinted polymer (MIP) coated solid-phase microextraction (SPME) fiber that could be coupled directly to high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) was prepared with prometryn as the template molecule. The characteristics and application of this fiber were investigated. Electron microscope photographs indicated that the MIP coating with average thickness of 25.0 microm was homogeneous and porous. The extraction yield of prometryn with the MIP-coated fibers was 10 times as much as that with the non-imprinted polymer (NIP) coated fibers. And special selectivity to other triazines which have similar structure to prometryn was discovered with the MIP-coated fibers. A method for the determination of triazines by the MIP-coated SPME coupled with HPLC was developed. The optimized extraction conditions were studied. Detection limits for the triazines studied were within the range of 0.012-0.090 microg/L. The method was applied to five triazines determination in the spiked soybean, corn, lettuce, and soil samples with the recoveries of 78.0-103.5%, 82.4-113.4%, 75.5-83.4%, and 81.0-106.1%, respectively. The MIP-coated fibers are suitable for the selective extraction of trace triazines in complicated samples.

Capillary zone electrophoretic separation of neutral species of chloro-s-triazines in the presence of cationic surfactant monomers

Chloro-s-triazines are difficult to separate by capillary zone electrophoresis (CZE), due to their low pKa values. However, these analytes can be effectively separated by CZE in the presence of cationic surfactant monomers, such as tetradecylammonium bromide (TTAB) and dodecyltrimethylammonium bromide (DTAB). The separation mechanism based on a 1:1 binding of analytes to cationic surfactant monomers is proposed. The binding constants of chloro-s-triazines to cationic surfactant monomers are estimated. The results show that the strength of the interactions of these analytes with TTAB monomers is considerably strong, whereas that of the corresponding analyte with DTAB monomers is about 12- to 14-fold weaker. A linear correlation of binding constants with log P(ow) (the logarithm of the partition coefficient of analytes between 1-octanol and aqueous phases) indicates that the migration order of these chloro-s-triazines depends primarily on their hydrophobicity. Moreover, the skewed peaks of chloro-s-triazines observed may reveal the occurrence of adsolubilization of these analytes in the adsorbed cationic surfactant layer on the capillary surface.

Use of solid-phase extraction and high-performance liquid chromatography for the determination of triazine residues in water: validation of the method

A method for determination of some triazine residues in water has been developed. The method involves concentration with C18 solid-phase extraction cartridges followed by high-performance liquid chromatographic analysis using a C18 column with UV detection at 230 nm, a mobile phase of methanol-water (60:40, v/v) at pH 4.6 (phosphoric acid) and a flow-rate of 0.8 ml/min. After optimization of the extraction and separation conditions, the method was validated. The method can be used for determination of atrazine, simazine, cyanazine and ametryn in water, within the international limits of 0.1 microg/l.

Tandem solid-phase extraction of atrazine ozonation products in water

The preconcentration of aqueous solutions containing atrazine degradation products was investigated using solid-phase extraction on octadecyl and cation-exchanger silica phases. The retention and elution steps were studied and evaluated separately in order to define and optimize the critical experimental parameters involved. A strategy which combines sequentially both phases is proposed to fractionate compounds into two groups of increasing polarities: firstly, the native pesticide, hydroxyatrazine and most chlorotriazines on octadecyl support, and secondly monodealkylated hydroxytriazines, ammeline and ammelide on cation-exchanger. This tandem procedure was successfully applied for analysing and quantifying atrazine ozonation products and its efficiency demonstrated using [U-ring 14C]-labelled atrazine experiments.

Analysis of atrazine, terbutylazine and their N-dealkylated chloro and hydroxy metabolites by solid-phase extraction and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry and capillary electrophoresis-ultraviolet detection

Solid-phase extraction (SPE) with the styrene-divinylbenzene adsorbent LiChrolut EN was investigated for the extraction of the s-triazine herbicides atrazine and terbutylazine, their polar N-dealkylated degradation products deethylatrazine (DEA), deisopropylatrazine (DIA) and deethylterbutylazine (DET) and for the hydrophilic hydroxytriazine degradation products (HTDPs) hydroxyatrazine (HA), hydroxyterbutylazine (HT), deethylhydroxyatrazine (DEHA), deisopropylhydroxyatrazine (DIHA) and deethyldeisopropylhydroxyatrazine (ameline). The optimum pH value for the extraction of the HTDPs from fortified tap water at 2 micrograms/l is 3.0. Recovery values with 200 mg LiChrolut EN are > 80% for HA, HT, DEHA and 30% for DIHA from 200 ml spiked tap and river water. Atrazine, terbutylazine, DEA, DIA and DET are quantitatively extracted by LiChrolut EN. The chlorotriazines are analyzed by GC-MS and the HTDPs by capillary zone electrophoresis (CZE) and micellar electrokinetic capillary chromatography (MECC) with an acetate buffer at pH 4.6 or a sodium borate-sodium dodecyl sulfate buffer at pH 9.3. The combined method of SPE enrichment and CE analysis allows the determination of HTDPs in the low microgram/l range.

On-line micellar electrokinetic chromatography-electrospray ionization mass spectrometry using anodically migrating micelles

On-line micellar electrokinetic chromatography (MEKC)-electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (ESIMS) is demonstrated for the analysis of chlorotriazine herbicides and barbiturates. In this study, the micellar velocity is directly manipulated by the adjustment of electroosmosis rather than the electrophoretic velocity of the micelle. The electroosmotic flow is adjusted against the electrophoretic velocity of the micelle by changing the solution pH in MEKC. The elimination of MEKC surfactant introduction into ESIMS is achieved with an anodically migrating micelle, moving away from the electrospray interface. The effects of moving surfactant boundary in the MEKC capillary on separation efficiency and resolution of triazine herbicides and barbiturates are investigated. The mass detection of herbicides and barbiturates sequentially eluted from the MEKC capillary is acquired using the positive and negative electrospray modes, respectively.

Mechanistic studies of partial-filling micellar electrokinetic chromatography

The need for coupling micellar electrokinetic chromatography (MEKC) with electrospray mass spectrometry initiates the development of partial-filling MEKC. In comparison with conventional MEKC, only a small portion of the capillary is filled with a micellar solution for performing the separation in partial-filling MEKC. Analytes first migrate into the micellar plug, where the separation occurs, and then into the leading electrophoresis buffer, which is free of surfactants. A theoretical model is proposed for predicting the separation behavior of triazine herbicides in partial-filling MEKC. The comparisons between conventional and partial-filling MEKC in terms of separation efficiency and resolution of triazine herbicides are presented and discussed. The optimization techniques, possible applications, and advantages of partial-filling MEKC are similarly addressed.

Atrazine and simazine determination in river water samples by micellar electrokinetic capillary chromatography

A rapid and sensitive micellar electrokinetic capillary chromatography analytical method was used for the determination of chlorotriazine herbicides in river water samples. Several electrolyte systems in the pH range 7-10 were tested in order to optimize the separation. The two compounds were separated in less than 10 min and the determination limit was about 0.4 ppb for each herbicide. Recovery values of the method were in the range 80%-117%.

Mobile phase variations in thermospray liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry of pesticides

The effect of four different mobile phase compositions with reversed-phase methanol-water (50:50) + 0.05 M ammonium acetate, methanol-water (50:50) + 0.05 M ammonium formate, acetonitrile-water (50:50) + 0.05 M ammonium acetate and acetonitrile-water (50:50) + 0.05 M ammonium formate were compared in filament-on thermospray liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry for the determination of carbamate and chlorotriazine pesticides. In the positive-ion mode, [M + H]+ and [M + NH4]+ were generally the base peaks for the chlorotriazines and the carbamates, respectively. Depending on the mobile phase used, other adduct ions obtained corresponded to [M + CH3CN + H]+, [M + CH3OH + NH4]+, [M + CH3COONH4 + NH4 - 2H2O]+, [M + CH3CN + NH4]+, [M + CH3COONH4 + H - H2O]+ and the dimer [2M + H]+. In the negative-ion mode, [M - H]- and adducts with the ionizing additive [M + CH3COO]- or [M + HCOO]- were obtained. Other ions for the carbamates carbaryl and oxamyl corresponded to [M - CONHCH3 + CH3COOH]- and [M - CON(CH3)2 + HCOO]-, respectively. The variation of mobile phase composition provides additional structural information in thermospray liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry with no appreciable loss of sensitivity. Applications are reported for the determination of carbamate and chlorotriazine pesticides at the ng/g level in spiked and real soil samples, respectively.