A method for the voltammetric determination of 2-methylthio-4,6-dialkylamino-1,3,5-triazine (triazines) herbicides in hemodialysis (HD) saline solutions was developed. The herbicides were detected in the saline solutions at the hanging mercury drop electrode (HMDE) with high sensitivities only after extraction of the analytes in acetonitrile (ACN). The salting out effect originated by the saline environment existing in the solutions enabled the extractions. The volume ratio between the saline and ACN phases was investigated in order to find the best sensitivity to detect the triazines. The speciation amongst them (ametryn, desmetryn, prometryn and terbutryn) was not possible. Recoveries between 88 and 107% were calculated in spiked samples, and detection limits of 0.03 mumol L-1 were calculated for the triazines in the saline samples using this methodology.
herbicides; triazines; hemodialysis; voltammetry
