Determination of various fungicides in water by LC-DAD analysis

Abstract

Benomyl as carbendazim (MBC), chlorothalonil, folpet, quinomethionate, and tetradifon are the most widely used fungicides in Trakya area (Turkey). This study presents a simple and rapid method for their analysis in surface water. They are separated on a 250x4.6 mm Luna C-18 column (0.8 ml min(-1) acetonitrile-water with 0.6% ammonia by gradient program) and detected using an UV-diode array detector. The water samples were pre-concentrated by solid-phase extraction with a C18 cartridge. Recovery rates of these compounds were found between 64 and 97% in water samples fortified at three different concentration levels. The inter- and intra-day relative standard deviations were in the range of 0.001-9.11%. The method's and instrumental detection limits ranged between 5-25 ng L-1 and 5-38 pg/injection, respectively. Results showed that the method developed can be used to detect pesticides in concentrations below the maximum residue limits (MRL) established by the European Union legislation.