Skip to main content
Chemistry LibreTexts

Case Study: Sampling and Sample Preparation

  1. Last updated
  2. Save as PDF
  • Page ID
    301814

    • \( \newcommand{\vecs}[1]{\overset { \scriptstyle \rightharpoonup} {\mathbf{#1}} } \) \( \newcommand{\vecd}[1]{\overset{-\!-\!\rightharpoonup}{\vphantom{a}\smash {#1}}} \)\(\newcommand{\id}{\mathrm{id}}\) \( \newcommand{\Span}{\mathrm{span}}\) \( \newcommand{\kernel}{\mathrm{null}\,}\) \( \newcommand{\range}{\mathrm{range}\,}\) \( \newcommand{\RealPart}{\mathrm{Re}}\) \( \newcommand{\ImaginaryPart}{\mathrm{Im}}\) \( \newcommand{\Argument}{\mathrm{Arg}}\) \( \newcommand{\norm}[1]{\| #1 \|}\) \( \newcommand{\inner}[2]{\langle #1, #2 \rangle}\) \( \newcommand{\Span}{\mathrm{span}}\) \(\newcommand{\id}{\mathrm{id}}\) \( \newcommand{\Span}{\mathrm{span}}\) \( \newcommand{\kernel}{\mathrm{null}\,}\) \( \newcommand{\range}{\mathrm{range}\,}\) \( \newcommand{\RealPart}{\mathrm{Re}}\) \( \newcommand{\ImaginaryPart}{\mathrm{Im}}\) \( \newcommand{\Argument}{\mathrm{Arg}}\) \( \newcommand{\norm}[1]{\| #1 \|}\) \( \newcommand{\inner}[2]{\langle #1, #2 \rangle}\) \( \newcommand{\Span}{\mathrm{span}}\)\(\newcommand{\AA}{\unicode[.8,0]{x212B}}\)

    Background.

    Captan (pictured below) is a general use fungicide that is frequently used to protect orchard crops. It is often used in combination with other pesticides and fungicides and sprayed on crops. Captan also improves the appearance of the crops by giving them a brighter, “healthier-looking” finish. The biodegradation half-life of the compound is approximately 1 day. The compound has a melting point of 178°C and is not water soluble.

    Captan.png

    Analytical Challenge.

    Suppose you have been asked to determine the concentration of captan on the skin of apples at our local Linvilla Orchards in Media, PA. (1) Describe a method for sampling the apples that includes discussion of your sampling approach and how you will obtain a field blank. (2) Brainstorm ideas for how you will prepare your sample for analysis using liquid chromatography.

    That is, how will you go from this:    Apples.png  to this:   Captan.png

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

    Contributors and Attributions

    This page titled Case Study: Sampling and Sample Preparation is shared under a CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 license and was authored, remixed, and/or curated by Contributor via source content that was edited to the style and standards of the LibreTexts platform; a detailed edit history is available upon request.