A new multiresidue thin layer chromatography–ultraviolet detection method for the rapid determination of six herbicides residue applied as ready mix formulation for rice

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to develop a new multiresidue thin‐layer chromatography analysis method for the simultaneous analysis of herbicides in soil and plant samples. A new liquid‐liquid extraction method was also developed for the extraction and identification of herbicides from the soil, rice grain, and straw samples. The thin layer chromatography‐ultra violet technique with silica gel 60 F254 thin layer chromatography plates, using a solvent system consisting of ethyl acetate, hexane, benzene, and methanol was found to be most effective in simultaneous separation and identification of all herbicides with retention factor in the range of 0.21–0.91. The impurities and matrix effects from soil, water, grain, and straw were minimal and did not interfere with the identification of any targeted herbicide. The method developed is found suitable to detect residues of herbicides in the soil, rice grains, and straw samples with a limit of determination of 0.1–0.01 mg/kg. The validation parameters of the developed method were satisfactory and therefore can be successfully used for the simultaneous determination of the herbicides in the soil, water, and plant samples. This method can also be used to determine these herbicides in other environmental samples as well as in Forensic analysis of biological/non‐biological samples.