Liquid chromatography/electrospray ionisation sequential mass spectrometric identification of the main chlortoluron by-products during water disinfection using chlorine
Cg. Zambonin et al., Liquid chromatography/electrospray ionisation sequential mass spectrometric identification of the main chlortoluron by-products during water disinfection using chlorine, RAP C MASS, 14(10), 2000, pp. 824-828
The main degradation by-products of the herbicide chlortoluron formed durin
g water disinfection with HOCl/ClO- have been separated and identified by l
iquid chromatography/electrospray ionisation sequential mass spectrometry (
LC/ESI-MSn). Chlorination and hydroxylation reactions seem to occur exclusi
vely on the aromatic ring of chlortoluron, leading to by-products which sho
w characteristic fragmentation patterns. Indeed, chlortoluron-like ESI spec
tra were always observed for chlorinated byproducts, showing only a fragmen
t at m/z 72, In contrast, hydroxylated and chloro/hydroxylated byproducts g
ave a much more complex fragmentation pattern that could be elucidated by M
Sn (n = 1-4) experiments, A mechanistic scheme rationalising the observed f
ragmentation pattern is proposed and discussed. Copyright (C) 2000 John Wil
ey & Sons, Ltd.