Voltammetric determination of the neonicotinoid insecticide thiamethoxam using a tricresyl phosphate-based carbon paste electrode

Abstract

The objective of the work was to investigate the possibility of using a tricresyl phosphate-based carbon paste electrode for the direct voltammetric determination of the neonicotinoid insecticide thiamethoxam. The analyte was determined by differential pulse voltammetry in Britton–Robinson buffer pH 7.0 in the concentration range of 3.72–41.5 µg mL-1. The reproducibility of the analytical signal at the 7.29 µg mL-1 level was characterized by a relative standard deviation of 1.3 %. The applicability of the developed method was evaluated by determining thiamethoxam in a river water sample and a commercial formulation Actara 25 WG.

Keywords

• pesticide
• thiamethoxam
• differential pulse voltammetry
• carbon paste electrode
• tricresyl phosphate