Spectrophotometric Determination of Malathion in Environmental Samples

A simple, rapid, sensitive, and precise spectrophotometric method for the determination of Malathion is described. The method is based on the decomposition of Malathion in the presence of alcoholic KOH. Dimethyldithiophosphate produced is made to react with Ammonium meta vanadate in Nitric acid with the formation of blue color. Acid degradation of too slow to be important under environmental reaction conditions. However, alkaline degradation is too fast to be a pathway in environmental condition. The products of alkaline degradation are temperature dependant. The absorbance maximum was observed at 760 nm. The Beers law is obeyed up to 11 ppm. Interference study was carried for other pesticides