A Residue Technique for Urea Herbicides Using Catalytic Hydrolysis on Silica Gel Plates

Abstract

Urea herbicides are catalytically hydrolyzed to the corresponding aniline. The reaction occurs in situ on silica gel TLC plates making use of the acidic silanol groups. The anilines are then further reacted in situ with dansyl chloride and the fluorescent derivatives separated on the same plate. The sensitivity and selectivity of this technique permit the analysis of urea herbicide residues in soil and water samples with good reproducibility and a minimum of sample clean-up.