Coupled-column reversed-phase liquid chromatography—UV analyser for the determination of polar pesticides in water

Coupled-column RPLC with UV detection using direct large volume injections of up to 4 ml can be used for the rapid and sensitive determination of single polar pesticides in environmental water samples. The limits of determination for pesticides such as bentazone and isoproturon are 0.1 μg/l in real-life samples and the sample throughput is 5–7/h. Linearity is observed over at least three decades and the repeatability is satisfactory (relative standard deviations 3–7% at spiking levels of 0.1–0.5 μg/l). The set-up is fully automated and shows good robustness. The coupled-column RPLC-UV analyser has successfully been used in several monitoring programmes.