SIMULTANEOUS GAS-LIQUID-CHROMATOGRAPHIC ANALYSIS OF TRIFLURALIN AND BENFLURALIN RESIDUES IN TURFGRASS THATCH AND SOIL BY SOLID-PHASE EXTRACTION TECHNIQUE

A method is presented for either simultaneous or separate residue analysis of 2,6-dinitro-N,N-dipropyl-4-trifluoromethylaniline ( trifluralin) and N-butyl-N-ethyl-2,6-dinitro-4-trifluoromethylaniline (benfluralin) in turfgrass thatch and soil. Trifluralin and/or benfluralin residues are extracted from thatch and soil with acetonitrile-water mixture, reextracted and purified with C18 solid-phase extraction (SPE) tubes, and quantified by megabore column gas chromatography with a nitrogen specific detector. Method sensitivity for both compounds is 0.05 mg/kg for thatch and 0.02 mg/kg for soil.