Simultaneous high-performance liquid chromatographic determination of nitrate, nitrite, and organic pesticides in soil solution using a multidimensional column with ultraviolet detection

In many fertilizer trials, the amount of nitrate-nitrogen in soil solution must be quantified frequently because nitrate is easily leached. Because pesticides are generally applied to cropland with fertilizers, quantitative information is needed on the concentration of these chemicals still available in the soil. Information on nitrite, nitrate and pesticide concentrations in food, water and environmental samples is essential because of their toxicity and potential for groundwater and surface water contamination. Most of the methods currently used for nitrate determination also account for nitrite, because nitrite and some organics act as interferences. Some of the existing analytical methods require sample reduction or derivatization, complex solvent mixtures or large sample volumes which make analysis times long. A High-Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) method has been developed for the simultaneous determination of nitrate, nitrite and organic pesticides in soil solution samples and extracts using a multidimensional separator column with ultraviolet detection at 220 nm. The method is rapid and requires small sample volumes (20 μL). It is a sensitive method which is suitable for routine analyses of up to 100 samples per day. A comparison of this method with standard ion chromatography with conductivity detection showed very good agreement between the two methods for the analysis of NO3- and NO2-