Assessment of a fully optimized DPX-based procedure for the multiclass determination of pesticides in drinking water using high-performance liquid chromatography with diode array detection

Abstract

In this study, a disposable pipette extraction (DPX)-based procedure was fully optimized for the multiclass determination of 12 pesticides, with significant differences in their physicochemical properties, using high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with diode array detection (HPLC-DAD). The variables optimized were type of extraction phase, sample pH, sample volume, number of extraction and desorption cycles, time of each cycle, type and volume of desorption solvent, and NaCl concentration of the samples. The analytical parameters of merit were determined under optimized conditions and satisfactory results were achieved, with limits of detection (LOQs) varying from 0.06 µg L-1 for carbofuran to 2.30 µg L-1 for carbendazim and correlation coefficients of 0.9923 to 0.9999. Relative recoveries ranged from 75 to 117%. Good results were achieved for intraday (n = 3) precision (1 to 20%) and interday (n = 9) precision (1 to 24%). The method was applied to the monitoring of 20 drinking water samples collected from water treatment plants.