Extraction and cleanup of organochlorine, organophosphate, organonitrogen, and hydrocarbon pesticides in produce for determination by gas-liquid chromatography.

A rapid, multiresidue procedure utilizing the minimal cleanup necessary for gas-liquid chromatographic (GLC) analysis is presented. The samples are extraced with acetone and partitioned with methylene chloride-petroleum either to remove water. The organophosphorus and organonitrogen compounds are then quantitated by GLC, using a KCl thermionic detector. A Florisil cleanup of the extract is performed prior to the determination of organochlorine compounds by a GLC electron capture detector. Carbon-hydrogen compounds such as biphenyl and o-phenylphenol undergo the Florisil cleanup and may also be quantitated by GLC. Quantitative recoveries for 15 organophosphorus, 9 organochlorine, 5 organonitrogen, and 2 hydrocarbon pesticides show the range in polarities of pesticides recovered, from Monitor to biphenyl. The method is simple and fast with a great potential for the analysis of many more compounds.