Determination of Nematicide Aldicarb and Its Metabolites Aldicarb Sulfoxide and Aldicarb Sulfone in Soils and Potatoes by Liquid Chromatography With Photodiode Array Detection

Abstract

Solid phase extraction has been combined with High Perfomance Liquid Chromatography using a Photodiode Array Detector to isolate, determine, quantify and recover trace concentrations of aldicarb and its toxic metabolites, aldicarb sulfoxide and aldicarb sulfone, in soils and potatoes. A method is proposed which eliminates matrix interferences. The procedure involved extracting with acetonitrile or dichloromethane, initial separation and clean-up with a Sep-Pack Florisil or Silica cartridges. The extract can be successfully analyzed by HPLC-DAD and recoveries for pesticides were not influence by the use of this extraction method. The results have been applied to the systematic study of these compounds in growns of patatoes. The lowest detectable concentration for each pesticide is 40 μg kg⁻¹ in soil and 15 μg kg⁻¹ in potatoes.