Gas chromatography analysis of organophosphorous pesticides in plant samples

Abstract

The work presents a GC method for the determination of six organophosphorous pesticide residues in cabbage. Chopped cabbage was blended with acetone, then extracted with the mixture of n-hexane:methylene chloride (1:1). The extract was purified on a GPC column packed with BioBeads SX-3 gel. The pesticides were eluted with the mixture of methylene chloride:cyclohexane (1:1) at the flow rate of 0.5 mL min−1. After concentrating the extract was analysed by GC. Nearly 100 samples of cabbage were analysed; trace residues of dimethoate (about 0.05 ppm) were found in 10 samples. The average recoveries of the pesticides were above 80% with a relative standard deviation mostly less than 10%.