[Determination of residual amounts of chlorothalonil in peaches: problems of gas chromatographic identification with the use of electron capture detector].

In the work there are presented results of studies on the validation of the gas chromatographic (GC) methodfor the determination of chlorothalonil residue amounts in peaches with the use of electron capture detector (ECD). For the analytical control there was selected such stone fruit crop as the peach, referring to the crops, the most contaminated with residue amounts ofpesticides. There was justified the necessity of the inclusion in the procedure of the detection of the method of confirmation, based on mass spectrometry detection (MSD) (the type of ionization - electron impact). The significant source of the obtaining of incorrect data in the identification with the use of ECD of ions are shown to be phthalates, visualized in the chromatogram as intense and/or broad peaks. Mass spectra of compounds of the class ofphthalates are characterized by the dominant peak of the ion with the value of (mass/ charge) 149, just on this peak the detection of low molecular weight phthalates occurs in various matrices, on the spectrum there are also recorded typical ions corresponding to fragments of radical residues. The combination of the use of various types of the detection allows to prove that the revealed response (detector signal) is caused just by the analyte, but not the impurities, and optionally to optimize chromatographic conditions towards to the obtaining reliable results. The lower limit of the quantitation of chlorothalonil in peach fruits accounts for 0.01 mg/kg, determined with a signal/noise ratio of 10. The range of measured concentrations is volatile between 0.01-0.1 mg/kg, recovery rate of chlorothalonil from samples of peaches, established according to results of the analysis of model samples with the introduction of the substance in four points along the detection range, was 84-102%, the SD value of the repeatability varies in the range of 2.0-5.8%.