Abstract：A multi-residue analytical method for the determination of 22 sulfonamides and 1 sulfonamide potentiator in chicken was developed by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS). The sample was extracted with formic acid-acetonitrile (1:199, V/V), and the extract was defatted with n-hexane and cleaned up by liquid-liquid partition. The analytes were separated on a C18 column using a mobile phase consisting of methanol and water containing 0.1% (V/V) formic acid with gradient elution. The anaysis of the 23 analytes was performed by electrospray ionization (ESI) mass spectrometry under the positive mode using multiple reaction monitoring (MRM) and quantified by external standard method. The calibration curves showed good linearity. The limit of detection (LOD) and limit of quantitation (LOQ) were 0.5 and 2.0 μg/kg, respectively. At the spiked levels of 2.0, 5.0 and 10.0 μg/kg, recoveries ranged from 61.8% to 88.3%, with relative standard deviations (RSD) less than 11.3%. This method is convenient and suitable for the determination of residues of sulfonamides and the potentiator in chicken.
