ANALYSIS OF PRIMISULFURON AND TRIASULFURON IN WATER AND SOIL SAMPLES BY MICELLAR ELECTROKINETIC CAPILLARY CHROMATOGRAPHY

A capillary electrophoresis (CE) method was developed to separate and determine residues of two sulfonylurea herbicides (primisulfuron and t riasulfuron) in water and soil samples. Fortified water samples were e xtracted by solvent partitioning with methylene chloride and analysis by CE. Fortified soil samples were extracted by shaking in methanol-ph osphate buffer (1:1) followed by partitioning of the residues into met hylene chloride and analysis by CE. The method was simple, rapid and y ielded excellent recoveries. Average recoveries were greater than 90% for both herbicides fortified at 10 mu g/l in lakewater samples and at 50 mu g/kg in soil samples. Our results demonstrate that capillary el ectrophoresis provides a powerful analytical tool for determination of the residues of primisulfuron and triasulfuron in water and soil samp les.