This work addresses the application of capillary electrophoresis with mass spectrometry (CESI-MS/MS) to a diverse variety of agricultural, ecological, environmental scenarios. Commercialized by SCIEX, CESI-MS/MS has revolutionized the spectrometric analysis of highly polar agrochemicals, including protic organics, formerly prone to matrix suppression and chromatographic complications associated with reversed phase and ion exchange techniques.  We detail the CESI-MS/MS analysis of a suite of polar pesticides and nutrients of great interest for a number of reasons, including: highly publicized concerns about health effects (i.e., glyphosate), MRL violations caused by biogenic and anthropogenic interferents (i.e., fosetyl-aluminum, and phosphonic / phosphoric acids), and the large amounts of these compounds that are used each year to maximize the global food supply.  With respect to ecological applications, we report amino acid nutrient dynamics associated with sucking and piercing plant pests, including gassey-wing sharpshooter and Asian citrus psyllid. Moreover, we characterize prominent semiochemical constituents contained in the oral secretions of key Tephritd fruit fly pests, such as those from the genus Anastrepha.  Finally, CESI-MS/MS was applied to the identification of alkyl and aryl amines prominent in agriculture, personal care products, and disinfection technologies. Of particular interest was the CESI-MS/MS-quantification of amines that are subject to N-nitrosation, a structural modification that is not typically chromatographically distinct, at least with conventional approaches, and often is spectrometrically masked, such as during electron-impact ionization.

CESI-MS for agrochemical analysis

256th National Meeting (2018)

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