HPLC-electrochemical detection with graphite-poly(tetrafluoroethylene) electrode - Determination of the fungicides thiram and disulfiram

The suitability of composite graphite-poly(tetrafluoroethylene) (Teflon) electrodes as amperometric indicator electrodes in HPLC detection is demonstrated. The determination of the fungicides thiram and disulfiram in the presence of ziram has been chosen as an analytical problem. The optimization of working conditions, such as the choice of the organic solvent used in the mobile phase as well as its percentage, the potential applied to the composite electrode, and the time elapsed between mixing the carbamates and the injection, has been accomplished by using the wall-jet flow-cell configuration. The effect of the acetonitrile percentage used in the mobile phase on the retention of thiram, disulfiram, ziram and phenol was evaluated. Resolution up to the baseline can be achieved with 45% acetonitrile. The sensitivity of the determination of thiram and disulfiram in the presence of a constant concentration of ziram is slightly better when using a wall-jet cell; however, the background current is higher, as well as the baseline noise and the time necessary to achieve stabilization of the baseline before the injection. Lower limits of detection for both fungicides, as well as a better repeatability, were obtained when using a thin-layer flow cell configuration. As an application, the determination of thiram in spiked apple samples, at a level of 0.5 mg thiram kg(-1) apple, has been carried out with a mean recovery of 97 +/- 3% for a significance level of 0.05.