Mass spectrometric analysis of nitrogen- and phosphorus-containing pesticides by liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry

A series of nitrogen- and phosphorus-containing pesticides (amines, anilides, carbamates, phosphonates, phenylureas, sulfonylureas, and triazines) was examined by thermospray (TSP) ionization. A method is described that employs off-line and on-line solid phase extraction and TSP liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS) with time scheduled selected ion monitoring (SIM) for environmental monitoring of these pesticides in aqueous samples. SIM detection limits for the pesticides analyzed in conjunction with reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography range from 40 to 600 pg. In addition, methods for inducing fragmentation in thermospray LC-MS are presented. The structural information gained therefrom can be used to confirm a tentative identification. Therefore, fragmentation pathways under certain experimental conditions were investigated.