Abstract:
Based on the ultra-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC-MS/MS) technique, a residue analysis method was established for simultaneous determination of pyroxasulfone and its four metabolites (M1, M3, M25, M28) in maize, soybean and wheat. The samples were extracted by acetonitrile with 2%(
V/V) formic acid, purified with 50 mg C
18, 50 mg graphitized carbon black (GCB), and 100 mg magnesium sulfate anhydrous, separated on a BEH-C
18 column, detected by UPLC-MS/MS in multiple reaction monitoring mode, and quantified with a matrix-matched external standard method. The results showed that the linear relation between the areas and the mass concentrations of all compounds was satisfied, given the correlation coefficient (
r) above 0.99 within the concentration of 0.0005-0.02 mg/L. The average inter-day and intra-day recoveries of all compounds were 76%-96% with the relative standard deviations (RSD) of 8.8%-9.9% at the spiked levels of 0.01 to 0.1 mg/kg. The limits of quantification (LOQ) of the method were 0.01 mg/kg. The method validation parameters met the requirements of residue analysis, showing that it could be used for the detection of pyroxasulfone and its metabolites in the three crops.