Multiresidue analysis of phenylurea herbicides in environmental and drinking water by capillary electrophoresis

The present paper describes the application of capillary electrophoresis in the micellar mode to the separation and quantitative determination of five phenylurea herbicides, viz. monuron, linuron, diuron, isoproturon, and mon olinuron, in water samples. Using uncoated fused silica capillary and phosp hate-borate buffer (pH 7.0) containing SDS, the live pesticides are resolve d in less than 15 min and quantitatively determined by an ultraviolet detec tor at 244 nm, Method optimization and validation parameters are presented. Good linearity and repeatability were observed for all the compounds studi ed (correlation coefficients 0.999). The feasibility of the method develope d was tested by simultaneous determination of these herbicides in environme ntal and drinking water samples at the minimum residue levels (MRLs) (0.1 m u g/L) after solid-phase extraction (SPE) preconcentration procedure.