Development of a novel HPLC-CDCL method utilizing nitrogen-doped carbon dots for sensitive and selective detection of dithiocarbamate pesticides in tea

In this study, S-methyl derivatives of dithiocarbamates (DTCs) were shown to significantly enhance chemiluminescence (CL) between Ce(IV) and efficient and environmentally friendly nitrogen-doped carbon dots (NCDs). Based on the elucidation of the CL mechanisms, an innovative approach involving high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with N-CDs and CL detection (HPLC-CDCL) was proposed. The developed method was successfully applied to the highly sensitive detection of three DTC fungicides (dimethyl dithiocarbamate, ethylene bisdithiocarbamate, and propylene bisdithiocarbamate) in tea. The recovery of the established method ranged 70.51–116.45%, with relative standard deviations (RSD) of <9.40%. The limit of detection (S/N = 3) was as low as 0.19 μg/L (as CS2), which is superior to the previous methods and comparable to UPLC-tandem mass spectrometry (MS/MS). Moreover, the proposed approach does not require solid-phase extraction and offers excellent selectivity. This study proposes a novel method for the detection of DTCs in the food safety and environmental fields.