Open Access

Melanie Broszat, Helena Ernst, Bernd Spangenberg

• We present a video-densitometric quantification method for the triazine herbicides atraton, terbumeton, simazine, atrazine, and terbutylazine. Triazine herbicides were separated on silica gel using methyl-t-butyl ether, cyclohexane (1 + 1, v/v) as mobile phase. The quantification is based on a derivation reaction using chlorine and starch-iodine which forms red-brown triazine zones. MeasurementsWe present a video-densitometric quantification method for the triazine herbicides atraton, terbumeton, simazine, atrazine, and terbutylazine. Triazine herbicides were separated on silica gel using methyl-t-butyl ether, cyclohexane (1 + 1, v/v) as mobile phase. The quantification is based on a derivation reaction using chlorine and starch-iodine which forms red-brown triazine zones. Measurements were carried out using a 16 bit ST-1603ME CCD camera with 1.56 megapixel from Santa Barbara Instrument Group, Inc., Santa Barbara, USA. A white LED was used for illumination purposes. The range of linearity covers two magnitudes using the (1/R-1) expression data transformation. The signal-to-noise ratio increases directly linearly with the measurement time. The separation method is cheap, fast and reliable.…