Dispersive micro-solid phase extraction using silica based sol-gel hybrid organic-inorganic material for analysis of organophosphorus pesticides in water samples

Abstract

In 1930s, the insecticidal properties of organophosphorus pesticides (OPPs) and carbamate compounds were found and the compounds were developed for pesticides use in 1940s. They have been extensively used since 1970s when the environmentally persistent organochlorine pesticides were banned for use in the United States [1]. Although OPPs compounds are considered less dangerous than organochlorine, they are still highly neurotoxic to human and in some cases their degradation products have the potential to be more toxic with chronic exposure. The common method used for the analysis of pesticides is solid phase extraction (SPE) since it is more rapid, simple and economical than traditional liquid-liquid extraction. However, this method still has tendency to produce large secondary wastes, solvent loss, a long procedure and need for complex equipment [2,3]. Therefore to overcome this limitation, a quick, easy, cheap, rapid and simple (QuECheRS) microextraction method named dispersive micro-solid phase extraction (D-µ-SPE) has been developed. The developed method used synthesized silica based sol-gel hybrid cyanopropyltriethoxysilane-methyltrimethoxysilane (CNPrTEOSMTMOS) as sorbent for the analysis of selected pesticides namely methamidophos, monocrotophos and chlorpyrifos in water sample.