Voltammetry of atrazine

CHED 1160

Paul DeVos, brown@southwestmsu.edu and Jay H. Brown, brown@southwestmsu.edu. Chemistry Program, Southwest Minnesota State University, 1501 State St, Marshall, MN 56258
Atrazine (2-chloro-4-(ethylamino)-6-(isopropylamino)-s-triazine) is an herbicide used to control annual grasses and broadleaf weeds in corn production.1 Atrazine provides post-emergent protection by interfering with photosynthetic electron transport. Atrazine is highly persistent in the environment and can persist for longer than a year under dry or cold conditions. Chemical hydrolysis followed by degradation by soil microorganisms is a common breakdown pathway. The goal of our group is to develop an electro-analytical technique to quantify atrazine in the low to sub-parts per billion (ppb) range using a hanging mercury drop electrode (HMDE) and differential pulse voltammetry (DPV). Our developed procedures are based upon our group's earlier work with this herbicide. The project involves the standard additions method, error analysis, and detection limit calculations. Such a method may be useful for industries interested in water quality measurements.

1. See http://extoxnet.orst.edu (accessed 11/1/06)