A simple and rapid spectrophotometric method to quantify the herbicide glyphosate in aqueous media. Application to adsorption isotherms on soils and goethite

This article presents a simple, fast and low cost UV–vis spectrophotometric method to quantify glyphosate. This method can be used to perform adsorption isotherms on soils and metal oxides. It comprises a derivatization step and further measurement of the absorbance at 265 nm. The trueness of the results is validated using Ultra Performance Liquid Chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry detection (UPLC-MS/MS) as a reference method. The proposed spectrophotometric method is able to quantify glyphosate in the concentration range from 0.084 to 21.8 mg L− 1. This range is suitable to construct reliable adsorption isotherms. Examples of adsorption isotherms on goethite at pH 4.5 and a soil sample at pH 4.5, 6.0 and 8.0 are given. Interferences caused by dissolved organic matter can be corrected at least up to an organic matter concentration of 12 mg L− 1.

► A rapid, simple and low cost method to quantify glyphosate is presented. ► It involves a derivatization step and further absorbance measurement at 265 nm. ► It was validated using UPLC-MS/MS as a reference method. ► It allows to obtain reliable adsorption isotherms onto soils and goethite.