A new and highly sensitive method for analysing amitrol, used both as an herbicide and photographic chemical, in water at sub parts per billion levels
Agilent Technologies has announced a highly sensitive method available for characterising amitrol in water at detection levels well below the European Commission advisory level of 0.1ug/l. Amitrol is used both as an herbicide and photographic chemical.
A suspected carcinogen, it has been cited as a hazardous substance by the EPA and US National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health.
Sub-parts-per-billion analysis of amitrol in water raises two challenges: Amitrol's low molecular weight does not produce a specific, recognisable ion in mass spectrometry, and this highly soluble compound is difficult to recover in a water sample.
Both challenges can be solved by in-situ derivatisation with hexylchloroformate.
Agilent chemists used this derivatisation technique, solid phase extraction and liquid chromatography/mass selective detection to analyse amitrol with minimum sample preparation.
The scientists performed the analysis on an Agilent 1100 series LC/MSD system operated in atmospheric pressure chemical ionisation mode with selective ion monitoring and large volume injection (100ul).
This method characterised amitrol at the ppb level (0.02ug/l).
The repeatability of the analysis was verified by quantifying six standard solutions (50ml each) at 0.05ppb amitrol and 0.5ppb internal standard.
The complete derivatisation and extraction procedure gave a relative standard deviation of just 6.5%.
Further information is available by requesting Agilent application note 'Determination of ultratrace amitrol in water samples by in situ derivatisation -solid phase extraction - liquid chromatography - mass selective detector', publication 5989-0184EN.
This note is available without charge from any Agilent sales office or on Agilent's website.
