Sample preparation for GC analysis of selected pesticides in surface water

A new isolation procedure for the determination of nitrogen/phosphorous containing pesticides and organochlorine pesticides in water was tested, and statistical evaluation of the recoveries was performed. The procedure, designed specifically for the analysis of semi-volatile compounds in water containing Suspended Particulate Matter (SPM), utilizes a specially designed filtration vessel coupled directly to an SPE cartridge. The studies were based on surface water samples (from the Vistula River) spiked with pesticides. SPM separation and analyte isolation/concentration were carried out in a special filtration vessel. Pesticides were sorbed both on the SPE cartridge and on the suspended matter. The cartridge and the filter with the suspended matter were extracted separately with a solvent, which enabled the determination of analyte distribution between the two. For organochlorine pesticides, between 3 and 60 % of the initial amount was found on the filter, while the recoveries in the filtrate ranged from 30 to 98 %. Total recoveries of organochlorine pesticides from surface water samples spiked with pesticides using the method described were high, ranging from 90 to 101 %. The amounts of nitrogen/phosphorus containing pesticides recovered from the filter were lower than 2 %, while those from the filtrate ranged from 69 to 92 %. Total recoveries of nitrogen/phosphorus containing pesticides from surface water samples were high, ranging from 71 to 92 %.