Strategical Considerations in Approaching Sample Preparation for Pesticide Residue Determination

Summary

Hydrolysis, steam distillation, rapid bromination, sweep co-distillation and trace enrichment are all examples of valuable techniques which may be employed to achieve effective sample preparation in pesticide residue analysis. The principles and relative merits of each of these techniques are discussed within the context of specific sample preparation strategies. These cover a range of pesticide/substrate combinations, placing the emphasis upon strategical considerations imposed by the chemistry of the analyte(s), the nature of the matrix and the aims of the study, including the desirable limit of determination.