Characterization of carbofuran photodegradation by-products by liquid chromatography/hybrid quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry.
The structural elucidation of by-products arising from carbofuran photodegradation using a high-pressure UV lamp has been investigated by liquid chromatography/electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry (LC/ESI-MS/MS) employing a quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometer. Exact mass measurements of the [M + H]+ ions of the by-products and of product ions allowed the elemental formulae and related structures of seven photodegradation by-products (resulting, respectively, from photo-Fries rearrangement, hydroxylation of the benzene ring, oxidation of the 2,3-dihydrobenzofuran ring, cleavage of the carbamate group, hydrolysis of the ether group and the newly observed radical coupling and decarboxylation processes) to be determined confidently. Accurate mass measurements of product ions allowed ambiguities to be removed concerning neutral losses having the same nominal mass, namely CO and C2H4, allowing the fragmentation patterns to be rationalized.
Instituto di Ricerca Sulle Acque, C.N.R., Sezione di Bari, Via F. De Blasio 5, 70123 Bari, Italy.
Antonia
A
Detomaso
Giuseppe
G
Mascolo
Antonio
A
Lopez
D002235:Carbofuran / Q000032:analysis / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000528:radiation effects; D002853:Chromatography, Liquid / Q000379:methods; D004784:Environmental Monitoring / Q000379:methods*; D007306:Insecticides / Q000032:analysis / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000528:radiation effects; D010782:Photolysis; D021241:Spectrometry, Mass, Electrospray Ionization / Q000379:methods*; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical / Q000032:analysis / Q000528:radiation effects
D007306:Insecticides; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical; D002235:Carbofuran