Rapid degradation of endosulfan by zero-valent zinc in water and soil.

Endosulfan has been included in the list of persistent organic pollutants (POPs) in 2011. The degradation of endosulfan by zero-valent zinc in water and soil was first investigated. The results showed that >90% endosulfan could be degraded in 180 min. The degradation was accelerated under acidic conditions with the absence of dissolved oxygen, while the nature of the soil only exhibited a negligible effect. The half-life was decreased from 130.75 min to 41.75 min with the increment of Zn(0) from 0.1 g to 1 g in soil. The use of Zn(0) was more effective than Fe(0) for the degradation of endosulfan with a half-life of 110 min and 330 min. The cationic surfactant was more effective at enhancing the degradation of endosulfan than anionic and nonionic surfactant. The degradation pathway was speculated, and four chlorine of endosulfan were proposed to be reduced. The method exhibited obvious advantages over traditional endosulfan treatments, and the research results will lay a foundation for practical application of the method.

Enantioselective degradation of metalaxyl in cucumber, cabbage, spinach and pakchoi.

The enantioselective degradation behaviors of the acylamino acid fungicide metalaxyl in vegetables (cucumber, cabbage, spinach and pakchoi) under field and greenhouse conditions were elucidated by reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). A cellulose tris (3-chloro-4-methyl phenyl carbamate) chiral column (Lux Cellulose-2) was used for the chiral separation of the enantiomers using acetonitrile-0.1% formic acid solution (40:60, v/v) as mobile phase at a flow rate of 1.0 mL min(-1). The two enantiomers could be completely separated with a resolution (Rs) of 5.2. The linearity range, matrix effect, precision and recovery were evaluated. The method was successfully applied for the enantioselective analysis of metalaxyl in cucumber, cabbage, spinach and pakchoi under different conditions. The results showed that R-enantiomer dissipated faster than S-enantiomer in cucumber of greenhouse. Inversely, a preferential degradation of S-form was found in spinach and pakchoi under field and greenhouse conditions. No stereoselective degradation in cabbage was observed. These results can be applied for evaluating the environmental risk and food safety.

Development of immunoassays for detecting clothianidin residue in agricultural products.

Two enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISAs) based on polyclonal antibodies (PcAbs) for clothianidin are described: colorimetric detection format (ELISA) and pattern of chemiluminescent assay (CLEIA). Clothianidin hapten was synthesized and conjugated to bovine serum albumin (BSA) and ovalbumin (OVA) to produce immunogen and coating antigen. Anticlothianidin PcAbs were obtained from immunized New Zealand white rabbits. Under optimal conditions, the half-maximal inhibition concentration (IC50) and the limit of detection (LOD, IC20) of clothianidin were 0.046 and 0.0028 mg/L for the ELISA and 0.015 and 0.0014 mg/L for the CLEIA, respectively. There were no obvious cross-reactivities of the antibodies with its analogues except for dinotefuran. Recoveries of 76.4-116.4% for the immunoassays were achieved from spiked samples. The results of immunoassays for the spiked and authentic samples were largely consistent with gas chromatography. Therefore, the proposed immunoassays would be convenient and satisfactory analytical methods for the monitoring of clothianidin in agricultural products.