Gas chromatographic/mass spectrometric confirmation of ten N-methylcarbamate insecticides in liver

A gas chromatographic/mass spectrometric (GC/MS) confirmation procedure for 10 phenyl-N-methyl-carbamate insecticides in liver tissue was developed. The extract from liquid chromatography (LC) is purified with a C18 solid-phase extraction cartridge and then derivatized with heptafluorobutyric anhydride; the derivative is injected for analysis by GC/MS with electron ionization and multiple ion monitoring. The identity of the derivative is confirmed by comparison of its retention time and relative intensity data with those of a standard. Liver extracts from the LC procedure containing carbamates at 10 ppb levels were successfully confirmed by this procedure.