Analysis of Dithiocarbamate Pesticides by GC-MS
The class of dithiocarbamate fungicides (DTCs) is widely used in agriculture. They are non-systemic and both the formulation and their break-down products typically remain at the site of application. DTCs are characterized by a broad spectrum of activity against various plant pathogens, low acute mammal toxicity, and low production costs [1]. The dithiocarbamate moiety is highly reactive: it readily chelates most heavy metals, reacts with sulfhydryl groups of proteins, rendering itself neurotoxic, teratogenic, and cytotoxic. It is not possible to homogenize plant samples and extract DTCs by organic solvents, as it is, for instance, with the QuEChERS standard procedure in pesticide-residue analyses. The analysis of DTCs for this application follows the acidhydrolysis method using SnCl2/HCl. The total DTC residues were estimated by analysing CS2 as the DTC hydrolysis products by GC-MS.
