Simple SPE-HPLC determination of some common drugs and herbicides of environmental concern by pulsed amperometry

In this work the electrochemical behavior of substances of environmental concern [bentazone, atrazine, carbamazepine, phenytoin and its metabolite 5-(4-hydroxyphenyl)-5-phenylhydantoin, HPPH] on a glassy carbon working electrode (Ag/AgCl reference electrode) was studied with the aim to develop a HPLC method coupled with amperometric detection. Constant potential (DC), pulsed amperometric detection modes were studied. For the pulsed mode, several waveforms were set and investigated. Detection conditions were optimized as a function of eluent pH. In order to reduce the limits of detection and to analyze natural water samples, a SPE protocol was optimized to be coupled to the developed procedure. For this aim, five sorbents of different physico-chemical characteristics were tested optimizing a recovery procedure for each of the cartridge evaluated. At the optimized SPE conditions, recoveries were included in the range (R=90.2-100.5% for all the analytes, with excellent reproducibility (<%, n=3). The method detection limits obtained by pulsed amperometry after the SPE protocol (preconcentration factor 100) were 113 ng L(-1) (0.47 nmol L(-1)), 67 ng L(-1) (0.25 nmol L(-1)), 234 ng L(-1) (1.1 nmol L(-1)), for bentazone, HPPH and carbamazepine, respectively. Robustness of the method was assessed for each analyte at a concentration level corresponding to about three times the limit of detection, through the evaluation of intra-day (n=13) and inter-day tests (4 days, n=52). Finally the method was successfully applied for the analysis of a river sample (Po River, Turin, Italy).