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Simultaneous determination of the herbicide atrazine and two of its degradation products, deethylatrazine and deisopropylatrazine, in water and air samples by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry
Abstract
I. Atrazine (ATZ), deethylatrazine (DEA), and deisopropylatrazine (DIA) concentrations were determined in a variety of collected raw and finished waters including river and small stream samples, monitoring and production well samples, and in various water samples collected by the United States Geological Survey (USGS). Monitoring of these surface and ground water samples has resulted in a better understanding of the transport, mixing, and mobility of the triazine herbicide atrazine. Results from this study indicate that atrazine and atrazine degradation products are most frequently detected in significant concentrations ($>$3 ppb for ATZ, $>$0.5 ppb for DEA and DIA) in surface water samples collected from late May through early July in eastern Nebraska. The infiltration of this surface water into nearby ground water results in a slow deterioration in the quality of ground water. The rate of infiltration is dependent on the distance of ground water from the surface water source. Various tests of quality control were performed on the analytical method. Modifications of this method allowed for the added detection of alachlor, metolachlor, and cyanazine in water samples. II. The mechanism of atrazine transport into the atmosphere was investigated in dry air samples and in rain samples. Adsorbent tubes containing XAD resins and polyurethane foam (PUF), as well as various porosity filters, were used to trap the herbicide in dry air. Various extraction experiments were performed as a control for field extractions. From these experiments, an extraction efficiency of 6% was calculated for atrazine and 30% for alachlor from manufactured adsorbent tubes designed for air extraction. Studies of rainfall indicate that atrazine, deethylatrazine, and deisopropylatrazine can be detected frequently in late spring and early summer with the highest concentrations detected ($>$1 ppb for ATZ, $>$0.1 ppb for DIA and DEA) during or slightly after herbicide application.
Subject Area
Analytical chemistry|Agricultural chemicals
Recommended Citation
Morris, Robert Thomas, "Simultaneous determination of the herbicide atrazine and two of its degradation products, deethylatrazine and deisopropylatrazine, in water and air samples by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry" (1995). ETD collection for University of Nebraska-Lincoln. AAI9604427.
https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/dissertations/AAI9604427