Evaluation of an alternative sorbent for passive sampling of the herbicides 2,4-D and Dicamba in the air.

The present study aimed to evaluate the Strata-X® sorbent, commonly used in cartridges, through analysis by high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry. Due to the different physical-chemical characteristics of the compounds, different conditions of chromatography and mass analysis were necessary. The developed methods were validated in terms of selectivity, linear range, linearity (coefficient of determination, r2), the limit of detection (LOD), the limit of quantification (LOQ), accuracy (recovery, %), and precision (RSD, %). The results allowed us to select efficient extraction methods, using methanol acidified to pH 2 with formic acid, to elute the herbicides 2,4-D and dicamba in both sorbent materials. Besides, the Strata-X® sorbent was efficient in the sorption of analytes; thus, we indicate it for potential use in air sampling as an alternative to XAD-2.