Rapid determination of glyphosate in postmortem specimens using 31P NMR

Glyphosate was quantified, using 31P NMR, in postmortem blood, liver, and urine specimens taken from two suicide victims. Apart from addition of D2O to give an NMR lock signal, the only pretreatment required of any of the specimens was an enzymic digestion of the liver. Glyphosate was confirmed by its characteristic 31P chemical shift and proton spin coupling and by a downfield shift on addition of NH4OH. Quantitation can be achieved either by comparison with an external standard or by spiking the specimen with glyphosate. Levels of 1 mg/mL could be detected in less than a minute.