| Tebuthiuron (N-[5-(1,1-dimethylethyl)-1,3,4-thiadiazol-2-yl]-N,N-dimethylurea) is a phenylurea herbicide used in sugar cane culture for the pre- and post-emergence control of weeds [1,2]. Analysis of tebuthiuron (Figure 1) and of other phenylurea herbicides in environmental samples can be performed by HPLC [3-10], or by gas chromatography using selective detectors such as nitrogen-prosphorus detector (NPD), eletron-capture detector (ECD), or a mass spectrometer (MS) [11-16]. Although Loh et al [17] reported that the use of temperatures above 280oC permits quantitative tebuthiuron breakdown, thus permitting the analysis of the products of decomposition formed, methods based on gas chromatography usually involve a derivatization step to permit analysis of... |
