Simplified cleanup and gas chromatographic determination of organophosphorus pesticides in crops.

A simple and efficient cleanup method for gas chromatographic determination of 23 organophosphorus pesticides in crops including onion is described. The sample was extracted with acetone. The extract was purified with coagulating solution, which contained ammonium chloride and phosphoric acid, and then filtered by suction. The filtrate was diluted with NaCl solution and reextracted with benzene. The organic layer was evaporated and injected into a gas chromatograph equipped with a flame photometric detector (FPD) and fused silica capillary columns (0.53 mm id) coated with silicone equivalent to OV-1701, OV-1, and SE-52. Onion extract, which contained FPD interferences, was cleaned up on a disposable silica cartridge. Recoveries of most organophosphorus pesticides from spiked crops: mandarin orange, tomato, spinach, sweet pepper, broccoli, lettuce, and onion at levels of 0.02-0.28 ppm, exceeded 80%, but the water-soluble pesticides dichlorvos and dimethoate gave poor recoveries in all crops; the nonpolar pesticides disulfoton, chlorpyrifos, fenthion, prothiophos, and leptophos were not recovered quantitatively in spinach, sweet pepper, broccoli, and lettuce. IBP, edifenphos, phosmet, and pyridaphenthion were not recovered from onion because of adsorption to the silica cartridge. The detection limits ranged from 1.25 to 17.5 ppb on a crop basis.