Analysis of Carbendazim in Agricultural Samples by Laser Desorption and REMPI Time-of-Flight Mass Spectrometry

Abstract

A method has been developed for the analysis of carbendazim in agricultural samples. This has been accomplished by the combination of laser desorption with resonance-enhanced multi-photon ionization (REMPI) coupled to time-of-flight mass spectrometry detection. After the optimization of the experimental conditions and the location of the resonant wavelength of the substance, several samples of pepper extract enriched with carbendazim were analyzed, finding a detection limit of the same order of magnitude as that of current GC and HPLC techniques, but with higher sensitivity and faster sample preparation.