Monitoring of the photochemical degradation of metamitron and imidacloprid by micellar electrokinetic chromatography and differential‐pulse polarography

Abstract

The photochemical degradation of metamitron (4-amino-4,5-dihydro-3-methyl-6-phenyl-1,2,4-triazin-5-one) and imidacloprid (1-(6-chloro-3-pyridylmethyl)-N-nitroimidazolidin-2-ylideneamine) has been investigated by differential-pulse polarography (DPP) and micellar electrokinetic chromatography (MEKC); the degradation pathways of these pesticides were elucidated and their degradation products proposed. The electrochemical study of imidacloprid by DPP at different pH values demonstrated the occurrence of two different reduction processes; at pH 6.8, two peaks at −0.90 V and −1.38 V, respectively, were obtained, which are related to the photochemical reduction processes. The photochemical degradation of imidacloprid caused by sunlight was polarographically monitored and its degradation products elucidated. The polarographic reduction of deaminometamitron (obtained by photochemical reduction of metamitron) yielded two peaks at −0.62 and −1.37 V, which are related to the reduction of the CN bonds. The effect of sunlight on the reduction of metamitron was monitored by DPP, and an increase of the concentration of the degradation products was observed with time. MEKC with UV-visible detection was used to separate the pesticides and the products of their photochemical degradation, which were identified in combination with DPP. © 1999 Society of Chemical Industry