Rapid Determination of 20 Carbamate Residues in Surface Water by Ultra Performance Liquid Chromatography-Tandem Mass Spectrometry

A method without any pre-treatment steps using Ultra Performance Liquid Chromatography-Tandem Mass Spectrometry (UPLC-MS/MS) was developed and applied for the rapid determination of carbamate residues in surface water. Water sample was filtered with 0.2 μm syringe filter for particle removal and injected directly into UPLC, and separation was performed on an Acquity Uplctm BEH C₁₈ column utilizing a gradient elution program of methnol and water (containing 5 mM ammonium acetate) as the mobile phase. Identification and quantification were achieved by UPLC-ESI-MS/MS in positive mode and multiple reactions monitoring (MRM). Good linearity was observed in the range of 0.10—100 μg/L with correlation coefficients from 0.995 6 to 0.999 7，limit of detection (LOD) for the 20 carbamates was in the ranges of 0.01—0.05 μg/L. The recoveries ranged from 72.2% to 117% with the relative standard deviations were between 1.82% and 14.2%. The method is characterized by high sensation and precision, extensive analytical range and quick analytical rate.