Determination and identification of malathion, ethion and dichlorovos using ion mobility spectrometry

Positive ion mobility spectra of different organophosphorus pesticides such as malathion (s-(1,2-dicarb-ethoxyethyl) o,o-dimethyl dithiophosphate), ethion (o,o,o′,o′-tetraethyl s,s′-methylene bis(phosphorodithioate)) and dichlorovos (2,2-dichlorovinyl dimethyl phosphate) have been studied in air at ambient pressure using ion mobility spectrometry method with 63Ni ionization source. The limits of quantification (LOQs) were 1.0 × 10−9, 1.0 × 10−9 and 5.0 × 10−9 g for malathion, ethion and dichlorovos, respectively. The working range of these compounds was about three orders of magnitude and the relative standard deviation (R.S.D.) of repeatability at the 5 μg ml−1 level were all below 15%. Furthermore, in this study, the influences of IMS cell temperature on the ion mobility spectra of these compounds were investigated.