Abstract
A reliable and rapid method was developed to determine benzobicyclon residue in different soil and sediment samples. After extraction via a modified quick, easy, cheap, effective, rugged, and safe method, samples were purified by SPE cleanup with HLB cartridges. Quantitative determination was performed by ultra-HPLC (UPLC)-tandem MS (MS/MS) in electrospray positive ionization and multiple reaction monitoring modes. When samples were fortified at concentrations of 5, 50, and 500 µg/L, recoveries of 80.2 to 114.5% were obtained, with the repeatability (intraday RSDr) and reproducibility (interday RSDR) <14.1 and <21.4%, respectively. The instrumental LODs and LOQs for matrix-matched standards and the method LOQs for sample test were 0.19–1.34 μg/L, 0.64–4.48 μg/L, and 0.32–2.24 μg/kg, respectively. The linear range was 5–1000 μg/L (R2 > 0.99). The established UPLC-MS/MS method was applied in the detection of benzobicyclon in real soil samples, which were collected during the supervised field trial. Results showed that the maximum concentration of benzobicyclon in the soil was 4.87 mg/kg and its degradation half-life (t0.5) was 6.7 days. Generally, the proposed method could be an effective tool for controlling and monitoring the risks posed by benzobicyclon to human health and environmental safety.
