Solid Phase Extraction of Organophosphorus Pesticides from Water Using Capillary Gas Chromatography with Thermionic Specific Detection

Abstract The extraction and enrichment of sixteen organophosphorus pesticides (OPPs) have been studied in Tunisian surface and tap waters as a part of fast and reliable method for monitoring these pesticides. This extraction was performed using C-18 bonded silica cartridges. Capillary column (CC) gas chromatography with thermionic specific detection permitted the determination of the studied pesticides. Recovery depends on (i) the polarity of elution solvent (ii) pesticide levels (iii) the treated water volume. For a 250 mL volume of spiked water at 0.4 μg/L, the recovery of the OPPs studied lays between 70 to 98% but dimethoate was recovered at 52–60%. The limits of quantification (LOQ) are comprised between 0.007 and 0.03 μg/L. The chromatographic behaviour (resolution, relative retention …) of these pesticides on non polar CC (HP-101), slightly polar CC (SPB-5) and intermediate polar CC (SPB-608 and HP-1701) is discussed. Applications are reported for the determination of parathion-ethyl and parathion-...