Determination of dimetridazole and ipronidazole in feeds at cross-contamination levels

A rapid method for the determination of dimetridazole and ipronidazole in feeds is described. The compounds are extracted from a borate buffer (pH 8.65) with benzene, partitioned into 1N HCl, and then partitioned back into benzene from a basic aqueous phase. The benzene extract is concentrated and injected onto a nonpolar (Apiezon L) gas chromatographic column for determination by 63Ni electron-capture detection. Recoveries from feeds of various composition, spiked at 0.2 ppm with both dimetridazole and ipronidazole, ranged from 70 to 115%; for the same feeds spiked at 1 ppm or more, the recoveries were greater than 80%. Carbadox, furazolidone, levamisole, oxytetracycline, chlortetracycline, sulfamethazine, sulfaquinoxaline, arsanilic acid, piperazine, penicillin, and commonly added vitamins and minerals do not interfere. A 2-dimensional thin layer chromatographic system is presented as a means of additional identification.