Abstract
Organophosphates belong to a family of acetylcholinesterase inhibiting neurotoxins. The toxicity of the parent compound, e.g., chlorpyrifos-methyl is usually tested.
However, the toxicity of its transformation products and the transformation process itself are often overlooked. The chlorpyrifos-methyl oxon degradation reaction was monitored using the newly developed, reversed phase high-performance liquid chromatography methods with tandem mass spectrometry detection.
These methods were applied to examine chlorpyrifos-methyl oxon hydrolysis at pH 9.2 and at 40 A degrees C, thereby determining the two hydrolysis products in a single, 6-min run without internal standards. The method is cheaper and less demanding than previous methods, particularly regarding sample preparation.