Rapid Separation of Organophosphate Pesticides using Micellar Electrokinetic Chromatography and Short-end Injection.

Abstract

Organophosphate (OP) pesticides are highly toxic substances and are frequently represented as poisons. In order to qualify and quantify the selected OP pesticides (methyl paraoxon, ethyl paraoxon, methyl parathion, fenitrothion, and ethyl parathion), micellar electrokinetic chromatography and short-end injection were investigated. This is the first time that this combination has been used to separate OP pesticides. A capillary with 8.5cm effective length was used, and the analytes were separated within 2.1min. Separation conditions including buffer (type, pH, and concentration), sodium dodecyl sulfate concentration, and separation voltage were optimized. The limit of detection (LOD) was estimated in the range of 10-20μM. The OP pesticides spiked in artificial saliva and drinking water gave superior peak profiles, and good average recoveries 95.6% and 62.3%, respectively. Overall, a rapid method with excellent resolution and efficiency was developed and successfully applied in the analysis of potential sample matrixes.