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Analyzing multiple pesticides in tobacco leaf using gas chromatography with quadrupole time‐of‐flight mass spectrometry
Author(s) -
Chen Xiuping,
Zhang Fang,
Yao Heming,
Wang Jiawei,
Qi Dawei,
Guo Yinlong
Publication year - 2018
Publication title -
journal of separation science
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.72
H-Index - 102
eISSN - 1615-9314
pISSN - 1615-9306
DOI - 10.1002/jssc.201701029
Subject(s) - chemistry , mass spectrometry , chromatography , detection limit , pesticide , pesticide residue , gas chromatography , quadrupole time of flight , gas chromatography–mass spectrometry , time of flight mass spectrometry , selected ion monitoring , ion , tandem mass spectrometry , ionization , organic chemistry , agronomy , biology
A method combining gas chromatography with quadrupole time‐of‐flight mass spectrometry has been developed for the simultaneous analysis of multiple pesticide residues in tobacco leaf. The retention index and high accurate masses of ions from the first‐stage and the second‐stage mass spectra of each pesticide were collected for qualitation and quantification. A total of 115 pesticides were evaluated. The extract from organic tobacco leaf was used as a model matrix. The limit of detection was <10 ng/mL, and the limit of quantification was in the range of 1–20 ng/mL for 95% of the tested pesticides. The correlation coefficients were >0.9900 for all tested pesticides. At three concentrations (10, 50, and 100 ng/mL), most compounds presented satisfactory recoveries ranging from 70 to 120% and good precision <20%. Finally, three tobacco leaf samples collected from a local market were analyzed. A total of three pesticides were found, including dimethachlon, triadimenol, and flumetralin. Each pesticide was confirmed by the presence of three ions at the expected retention index and mass. In conclusion, gas chromatography with quadrupole time‐of‐flight mass spectrometry appears to be one of the most efficient tools for the analysis of pesticide residues in tobacco leaf.