The analysis of pesticides in water, foods, and soil is important worldwide. This document discusses the changes and regulations in environmental monitoring in the United States, Europe, Asia-Pacific region, and Latin America. It highlights the challenges and limitations of using gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS) for pesticide detection, and the reliance on gas chromatography with an electron capture detector (GC/ECD). It also introduces the new 6890/5973 GC/MS system, which offers lower detection limits and can meet the current demands of environmental monitoring.
The document details the analysis of pesticides in water, foods, and soil using the Agilent 6890/5973 GC/MSD system. It highlights the system's ability to achieve detection limits well below 10 picograms on-column, surpassing previous GC/MS capabilities and offering an alternative to GC/ECD systems. The analysis utilized Electron Ionization (EI) with both Selected Ion Monitoring (SIM) and scan data collection modes.
| Scan sensitivity specification | 1 picogram of octafluoronaphthalene |
|---|---|
| HED detector voltage | 10 kV |
| Detection limit (SIM mode) | Well below 10 pg on-column |
The repeatability-derived detection limit in SIM mode well exceeds 10-picogram (on-column) detectability for a group of fifteen pesticides.
The HED detector improves sensitivity by increasing the efficiency of ion detection, particularly for ions with m/z > 200.