Simple and Rapid High-Performance Liquid Chromatography Method for Simultaneous Determination of Picloram and 2,4-D in Pesticide Formulations

Abstract

Picloram and 2,4-D are systemic herbicides used to control a wide range of broad-leaved weeds and post-emergence annual and perennial broad-leaved weeds, respectively. The use of plant protection products containing Picloram and 2,4-D necessitates the development of analytical methods, useful for the laboratories focused on control, for monitoring. In this study, we designed and validated an analytical method for the rapid determination of picloram and 2,4-D by HPLC-DAD. The method involves the extraction of the substances by sonication of the sample with methanol, followed by dilution in acetonitrile, and direct injection on a liquid chromatography system, based on the use of a Gemini C18 column. We used an isocratic mobile elution consisting of acetonitrile and water acidified 1% with H3PO4 (50:50, v/v). We validated the proposed method, which demonstrated linearity within the concentration range of 0.01–0.028 mg/mL for picloram and 2,4-D, with a correlation coefficient (R2) of 0.9993 for picloram and 0.9999 for 2,4-D. We considered precision, repeatability and selectivity in the validation. The repeatability of the method expressed as percent of relative standard deviation (%RSD) was lower than 1% for both substances. The proposed method is suitable for the simultaneous determination of picloram and 2,4-D in pesticide formulations.