Simultaneous determination of the herbicides isoproturon, dichlorprop-p, and bifenox in soils using RP-HPLC

A simple and fast analytical method for the simultaneous determination of the herbicides isoproturon (N-(4-isopropylphenyl)-N'N'-dimethyl-urea), dichlorprop-p ((plus)-2-(2,4-dichlorophenoxy)-propionic acid), bifenox (methyl-5-(2,4-dichlorophenoxy)-2-nitro-benzoate), and its main metabolite bifenox acid (5-(2,4-dichloro-phenoxy)-2-nitro-benzoic acid) in soils is described. The herbicides differ substantially in their physical and chemical properties. The soil extraction with a mixture of CH2 C12, C2 H5 OH, and acetone, followed by an isocratic RP-HPLC determination yields high, reproducible recoveries for all compounds. The method can be used for different soil moisture and pH conditions. The detection limits range from 0.01 for 0.03 mg active compound/kg dry soil. An additional clean-up using size exclusion techniques can improve the detection limits to 0.003 to 0.007 mg active compound/kg dry soil. The method is suitable for routine residure analyses and applicable to other herbicides as well.