Chapter 4 Sample handling and analysis of pesticides and their transformation products in water matrices by liquid chromatographic techniques

Abstract

Publisher Summary This chapter describes the recent advances in the different methodologies for the analysis of pesticides in water samples based on liquid chromatography (LC) and focuses on sample handling (extraction and clean-up), LC determination of pesticides (except mass spectrometry (MS) detection), and the on-line combination of liquid chromatography (LC) and mass spectrometry (MS). With the advent of LC -MS methods based on atmospheric pressure, it is possible to identify new metabolites, and this will be enhanced when more MS–MS methods combined with tailor-made specific sample handling procedures are performed together with the synthesis of new metabolites. LC- atmospheric pressure chemical ionization (APCI)-MS will be the method of choice for most of the environmental applications, mainly because of easy use as it can be combined with most LC equipment available using conventional flow rates. The novel use of Empore disk—by employing SAX disk and double disk approach—the use of immunosorbent for trace enrichment, and the clean-up of pesticides and some ideas about the future of sample handling of pesticides, including the use of molecular imprints and also automated on-line methods are also presented.