In environmental analyses there is an ever-increasing need to develop simple and sensitive multi-residue methods. In many agricultural regions, there is particular concern of the potential for pesticides to enter rivers and other waterways. This study reports on the development and validation of a multi-residue method of analysis for 30 pesticides in water samples using solid-phase extraction (SPE) followed by LC-MS/MS. The electrospray and MS/MS parameters were optimised for each pesticide, including capillary voltage, collision-induced dissociation voltage, and selection of a precursor ion and two product ions. A variety of SPE sorbents were tested for sample pre-concentration, including numerous polymeric based phases. Bond Elut PPL and Oasis HLB were the only phases capable of retaining the majority of the target analyte classes in a single method. An off-line pre-concentration method using a Gilson Aspec system was optimised using the Bond Elut PPL cartridges, with a concentration factor of 25 producing limits of quantitation in the order of 6-100 ng/L. Excellent linearity (r 2∈>∈0.9), precision (<20%) and recovery (>60%) was obtained for nearly all of the analytes, covering a wide variety of chemical and physical properties. This is the first study to fully validate Bond Elut PPL cartridges for use in multi-residue pesticide analysis. © 2009 Springer-Verlag.

Item Type:	Refereed Article
Keywords:	LC-MS, pesticide, SPE
Research Division:	Chemical Sciences
Research Group:	Analytical chemistry
Research Field:	Separation science
Objective Division:	Environmental Management
Objective Group:	Fresh, ground and surface water systems and management
Objective Field:	Measurement and assessment of freshwater quality (incl. physical and chemical conditions of water)
UTAS Author:	Nichols, DS (Dr David Nichols)
ID Code:	86128
Year Published:	2009
Web of Science® Times Cited:	35
Deposited By:	Central Science Laboratory
Deposited On:	2013-08-26
Last Modified:	2013-08-26
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