Abstract

Direct injection (DI) and solid phase extraction (SPE) methods for the simultaneous determination of pendimethalin (PDM) and dinoseb (DNS) in environmental water have been optimized using the ultra performance liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC–MS/MS) method. The limits of quantification (LOQs) of PDM and DNS were 0.01 μg/L using the DI method and 0.0001-0.0002 μg/L using the SPE method. The precision by SPE UPLC-MS/MS was less than 11 % for intra-day and inter–day analyses. When the proposed SPE method was used to analyze two analytes in environmental water, PDM was detected in a concentration range of 0.0002-0.011 μg/L in 31 samples of the 114 surface water samples, and DNS was detected in a concentration range of 0.0005-0.045 μg/L in 17 samples of the 114 surface water samples analyzed. When the DI method was used to analyze target compounds in the same samples, the detected concentrations of the two analytes were within 21% in samples with concentrations above 0.01 μg/L. The DI UPLC–MS/ MS method can thus be used for the routine monitoring of PDM and DNS in environmental water, and the SPE LC–MS/MS method can be used for the determination of the ultra-trace PDM and DNS residues in environmental water.