An insecticide, pirimicarb, and a fungicide, azoxystrobin, were analyzed by
capillary electrochromatography. Nine environmental matrices derived from
soil, plant and animal extracts were used. After a series of 311 consecutiv
e Injections with no washing between injections, retention times increased
by ca. 0.5 min. The use of exaggerated application rates for metabolism stu
dies enabled the detection of xenobiotic pesticide degradates by UV absorba
nce. A 1.2 mm path length, high-sensitivity flow cell gave a gain in sensit
ivity; however, a further increase in sensitivity of at least two orders of
magnitude is required for pesticide residue analysis. Analyte stacking usi
ng large volume injections of aqueous samples led to a large increase in re
tention times.