Capillary electrophoretic-ultraviolet method for the separation and estimation of zineb, maneb, and ferbam in food samples.

A simple and sensitive capillary electrophoretic method with ultraviolet detection has been developed for the separation and determination of ferbam [iron(III)-dimethyldithiocarbamate], maneb [manganese(II)-ethylenebisdithiocarbamate] and zineb [zinc(II)-ethylenebisdithiocarbamate], in borate buffer, after their acidic decomposition and complexation with CDTA (trans-1,2-diaminocyclohexane-N,N,N',N'-tetraacetic acid monohydrate), as CDTA-metal complexes of Fe+3, Mn +2, and Zn+2. The determination is dependent on the pH and the nature of the buffer solutions. In this method, the detection limit (signal-to-noise ratio = 3) is 0.0013, 0.0022, and 0.0023 mM for ferbam, maneb, and zineb, respectively. The relative standard deviation for the analysis of 1 mM of each was found to be 1.5 +/- 0.2%. The method was successfully applied for the analysis of red beans and grain samples spiked with ferbam, maneb, and zineb. The applicability of capillary electrophoresis as a useful tool for the simultaneous determination and analysis of ferbam, maneb, and zineb is demonstrated.