Determination of Phthalate Esters in Wine Using Dispersive Liquid–Liquid Microextraction and Gas Chromatography

A simple and rapid efficient method was developed for the determination of phthalate esters using dispersive liquid–liquid microextraction followed by gas chromatography with flame ionization detection. A mixture of isopropanol (0.75 mL, dispersant) and carbon tetrachloride (30 µL, extractant) with sodium chloride (1%, w/v) was used for extraction. Under optimum conditions, the method provided linear calibration curves between 0.5 and 200 µg L^?1 for dibutyl phthalate, and 1.0 and 200 µg L^?1 for butyl benzyl phthalate, diethyl phthalate, and diisooctyl phthalate. The relative standard deviations for intra-day and inter-day analyses were less than 5.8% and 6.9%, respectively, with enrichment factors between 229 and 424. Two wine samples were analyzed with recoveries between 70.1% and 119.3%.     

Dispersive Liquid–Liquid Microextraction for the Preconcentration of Multiple Classes of Pesticides in Water

A simple, rapid, efficient, and environmentally friendly method was developed for the preconcentration of atrazine, simazine, diuron, bentazone, tebuconazole, and fipronil from water. Dispersive liquid–liquid microextraction was employed with determination by liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry. The volumes of extraction and disperser solvents, the concentration of sodium chloride, and the pH were optimized by response surface methodology. The optimum conditions involved the use of 150 µL of 1:1 (v/v) monochlorobenzene:dichlorobenzene as the extraction solvent, 2 mL acetonitrile as the disperser solvent, and 10 mL of sample at pH 3.0. The accuracy was evaluated in terms of recovery values that were from 54 to 112%. The relative standard deviations ranged from 4 to 27%. The limits of quantification were between 0.005 and 0.05 µg L^?1. The optimized method had low matrix effects for the analytes and the results demonstrated application for the determination of pesticides in water.     

Determination of Alkylphenols in Water by Dispersive Liquid–Liquid Microextraction Based on Solid Formation without a Disperser

Dispersive liquid–liquid microextraction based on solid formation without a disperser combined with high-performance liquid chromatography has been developed for the determination of 4-tert-butylphenol, 4-n-nonylphenol, and 4-tert-octylphenol. This method is rapid, easy, and uses only 10 µL of a low toxicity organic solvent (1-hexadecanethiol) for the extraction solvent and no disperser solvent. The extraction time and centrifugation time require less than 10 min. The linear range was 1–500 ng mL^?1 for 4-tert-butylphenol, 2–1000 ng mL^?1 for 4-tert-octylphenol, and 5–500 ng mL^?1 for 4-n-nonylphenol with r² ≥ 0.9986. The detection limits were between 0.2 and 1.5 ng mL^?1. The recoveries of lake and river water samples were in the range of 79% to 108%, and the relative standard deviations were 5% to 10%.     

Determination of Urea in Milk by Liquid Chromatography-Isotope Dilution Mass Spectrometry

A definitive method based on liquid chromatography isotope dilution mass spectrometry (LC-IDMS) has been developed for the determination of milk urea, an indicator of nutrition status for the lactating animals. The milk samples were treated twice by sequentially adding acetonitrile and chloroform to precipitate proteins and then were directly separated using normal phase liquid chromatography without chemical derivatization. After the matrix separation, exact matching IDMS was used for the determination of milk urea, with high accuracy, high precision, good linearity and low uncertainty. The recoveries obtained for the four spiked milk samples were 100.6–102.2%. The linear range of signal responses was 10–2000 mg · kg^?1 with a linearity coefficient of 0.9995. The intraday and interday precisions in terms with relative standard deviations (RSDs) were 0.17–0.38% and 0.28–0.40%, respectively. The uncertainties of the whole sample analysis process were estimated to be 0.83%, 0.60%, and 0.64% for three samples with concentrations of 151.28, 184.36, and 266.66 mg · kg^?1.     

Determination of Cefaclor in Human Plasma by Reversed-Phase High-Performance Liquid Chromatography with UV Detection and Its Application to the Bioequivalence Studies

Abstract

A selective and sensitive reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography method was developed and validated for quantitation of cefaclor in human plasma using cefradine as an internal standard. Calibration curve was linear over range of 0.1–20 mg · L^?1. The intra- and inter-run relative standard deviations of the assay were less than 7%. The mean absolute recoveries determined at the concentrations of 0.3, 3.0, 8.0, and 15.0 mg · L^?1 were 69.9%, 69.9%, 77.1% and 72.0%, respectively. The analytical method established was proved to be specific, precise, sensitive, and suitable for applying in the pharmacokinetic and bioequivalence studies of cefaclor in human.     

Preparation of Titania Monolith Column and Application in Determination of Benzoic Acid by HILIC

The titania monolith column has been synthesized through a template-free sol–gel route, and a simple and reliable method for the determination of benzoic acid by hydrophilic interaction liquid chromatography using the prepared titania monolith has been developed. The influences of acetonitrile, acetate buffer and buffer pH on the retention of benzoic acid were investigated. Benzoic acid in carbonated drinks and fruit beverages samples were determined within 5 min and quantitative analysis was carried out by external standard method with a correlation coefficient (R ²) of 0.9984. The relative standard deviation was 0.91 % and the recovery ranged from 92.5 to 101.3 %. The proposed method is suitable for the analysis of benzoic acid in beverage samples.

     

Dispersive Liquid–Liquid Microextraction Coupled with High-Performance Liquid Chromatography for Determination of Coumarin Compounds in Radix Angelicae Dahuricae

In this paper, two methods, organic solvent dispersive liquid–liquid microextraction (OS-DLLME) and ionic liquid dispersive liquid–liquid microextraction (IL-DLLME), coupled with high-performance liquid chromatography have been critically compared and introduced for the analysis of the eight coumarin compounds (psoralen, isopsoralen, bergapten, isobergapten, oxypeucedanin, imperatorin, osthole, and isoimperatorin) in Radix Angelicae Dahuricae samples. Experimental conditions have been investigated for both OS-DLLME and IL-DLLME. Under optimal conditions, the detection limits of the eight coumarin compounds obtained by OS-DLLME and IL-DLLME ranged between 0.002–0.026 ng mL⁻¹ and 0.013–0.66 ng mL⁻¹, respectively. The relative standard deviations (RSDs, n = 9) were lower than 8.7 and 8.4% with enrichment factors in the range of 145–380 and 130–230 folds for OS-DLLME and IL-DLLME, respectively. The results showed that there were no significant deviations between the two DLLME methods for the determination of the eight coumarin compounds. Both methods were simple, fast, efficient, and inexpensive. However, compared with IL-DLLME, the OS-DLLME technique exhibited a higher extraction capacity for the eight target analytes.

     

Determination of Triazine Herbicides in Aqueous Samples Using Solidification of a Floating Drop for Liquid-Phase Microextraction with Liquid Chromatography

Abstract

A rapid, simple, and efficient liquid-phase microextraction (LPME) method coupled with high-performance liquid chromatography and ultraviolet detection for the analysis of triazine herbicides was developed in this study. Under the optimum conditions, the enrichment factors and extraction recoveries were 33.0–72.6 and 11.2–23.2%, respectively. The detection limits (LODs) were in the range of 0.03–0.10 µg L^?1. The relative standard deviations for the determination of the triazine herbicides at μg L^?1 levels varied in the range 2.05–8.15%. The method was successfully applied in the determination of the triazine herbicides in aqueous samples with satisfactory results.     

Determination of Herbicides in Soil by Dispersive Solid-Phase Extraction,Dispersive Liquid–Liquid Microextraction,and High-Performance Liquid Chromatography

A method for determination of five herbicides (i.e., quinclorac, metsulfuron-methyl, bensulfuron-methyl, atrazine, prometryn) in soil was developed by dispersive solid-phase extraction combined with dispersive liquid–liquid microextraction and high-performance liquid chromatography. The analytes were removed from the soil by liquid partitioning with acetonitrile/5% acetic acid, purified using a octadecylsilane sorbent, and subsequently extracted before chromatographic analysis. Under the optimized conditions, the linear dynamic range was from 10.0 to 300 ng g^?1 with correlation coefficients (r) between 0.9971 and 0.9985. The limits of detection were between 1.5 and 3.1 ng g^?1, with relative standard deviations from 3.8% to 6.7% (n = 5). The recovery of the herbicides from soil at fortification levels of 20.0 and 100.0 ng g^?1 were between 71.5% and 94.3%. The method was successfully applied to the determination of the analytes in soil.     

Determination of Volatile Disinfection Byproducts in Water by Gas Chromatography–Triple Quadrupole Mass Spectrometry

Chlorination disinfection byproducts have drawn significant attention in water quality research during the last decades, due to their adverse effects on public health. A method is reported for the determination of trihalomethanes, haloacetonitriles, haloketones, and chloropicrin based on liquid–liquid extraction and gas chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry. The optimum electron ionization energy was determined and precursor ions and product ions for thirteen volatile disinfection byproducts were identified. The method provides rapid chromatographic analysis (10 minutes) and good separation. The linear dynamic range extended from 0.05 to 100 µg L^?1 (r² = 0.9983 – 0.9997, n=10) and the limits of detection (LODs) were between 0.003 and 0.014 µg L ^?1 . The intra-day (n=5) and inter-day (n=6) relative standard deviations were in the ranges of 2.81–8.22% and 3.48–10.85%, respectively. The method was validated by measurement of the recoveries of fortified surface, ground, and wastewater to be 74.7–115.4%, 86.1–120.6%, and 81.6–126.1%, respectively.     

Determination of Homologue Imidazolium Ionic Liquid Cations by Ion Chromatography Using a Carboxyl Acid Cation-Exchange Column with Direct Conductivity Detection

An investigation into the determination of four imidazolium ionic liquid cations by ion chromatography using a carboxyl acid cation exchange column and direct conductivity detection was carried out. This research has developed a simple, selective, and accurate ion chromatographic method for separation of imidazolium ionic liquid cations. Detection limits (S/N = 3) for the cations were 3.2–24.3 mg/L. Relative standard deviations (RSD, n = 5) for peak areas were less than 1.6%. The method has been successfully applied to the determination of two ionic liquids synthesized by organic chemistry lab.     

Simultaneous screening of homotaurine and taurine in marine macro-algae using liquid chromatography–fluorescence detection

Simultaneous analysis of homotaurine and its homologous, taurine, is a highly challenging issue, especially in matrices they exist simultaneously. A simple precolumn derivatization procedure combined with high-performance liquid chromatography–fluorescence detection was developed for simultaneous determination of homotaurine and taurine in marine macro-algae. The analytes were derivated with o-phthalaldehyde at an ambient temperature and alkaline medium. Calibration curves were linear in the ranges of 50–2500 µg L^?1 for homotaurine and 100–2500 µg L^?1 for taurine with the coefficients of determination higher than 0.998. Limits of detection of homotaurine and taurine were 15 and 30 µg L^?1, respectively. Intraday (n = 6) and inter-day (n = 4) precisions of the method were satisfactory with relative standard deviations less than 6.0%. Good recoveries (>94%) were acquired by the method for extraction of homotaurine and taurine from algae matrices. Liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry was also used to confirm detection of the analytes in algae samples. The data suggest that the method was successfully applied to simultaneous determination of homotaurine and taurine in algae samples.     

Determination of Organotins in Seafood by Novel Extraction Procedures and High Performance Liquid Chromatography–Inductively Coupled Plasma-Mass Spectrometry

Triorganotins in seafood are a risks to human health, but due to their low concentrations, their determination is challenging. In this study, a simple and rapid method was developed to isolate triorganotins from seafood by microwave-assisted extraction coupled with magnetic nanoparticle-based purification. The magnetic nanoparticles were coated with octanoic acid. Triethyltin chloride, tributyltin chloride, triphenyltin chloride, and azocyclotin were determined by high performance liquid chromatography– inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (HPLC–ICP-MS). Various parameters including the temperature, time, and volume of solvent were optimized to improve the extraction efficiency. Under the optimized conditions, the average recoveries (n = 6) of the triorganotins (fortified at 0.01, 0.02, and 0.05 µg g^?1) were between 73.8% and 105.4% and the relative standard deviations were less than 10.4%. The procedure was successfully applied to seafood, and the analytes were measured at concentration levels between 2.93 and 11.26 ng g^?1.     

Rapid Determination of DDT and Its Metabolites in Environmental Water Samples with Mixed Ionic Liquids Dispersive Liquid–Liquid Microextraction Prior to HPLC-UV

In this paper, a novel mixed ionic liquids-dispersive liquid–liquid microextraction method was developed for rapid enrichment and determination of environmental pollutants in water samples. In this method, two kinds of ionic liquids, hydrophobic ionic liquid and hydrophilic ionic liquid, were used as extraction solvent and disperser solvent, respectively. DDT and its metabolites were used as model analytes and high-performance liquid chromatography with ultraviolet detector for the analysis. Factors that may affect the extraction recoveries, such as type and volume of extraction solvent (hydrophobic ionic liquid) and disperser solvent (hydrophilic ionic liquid), extraction time, sample pH and ionic strength, were investigated and optimized. Under the optimum conditions, the linear range was 1–100 μg L⁻¹, limits of detection could reach 0.21–0.49 μg L⁻¹, and relative standard deviation was 6.01–8.48 % (n = 7) for the analytes. Satisfactory results were achieved when the method was applied to analyze the target pollutants in environmental water samples with spiked recoveries over the range of 85.7–106.8 %.

     

Optimization of parameters for the alcoholic-assisted dispersive liquid–liquid microextraction of estrogens in water

Extraction and determination of estrogens in water samples were performed using alcoholic-assisted dispersive liquid–liquid microextraction (AA-DLLME) and high-performance liquid chromatography (UV/Vis detection). A Plackett–Burman design and a central composite design were applied to evaluate the AA-DLLME procedure. The effect of six parameters on extraction efficiency was investigated. The factors studied were volume of extraction and dispersive solvents, extraction time, pH, amount of salt and agitation rate. According to Plackett–Burman design results, the effective parameters were volume of extraction solvent and pH. Next, a central composite design was applied to obtain optimal condition. The optimized conditions were obtained at 220 μL 1-octanol as extraction solvent, 700 μL ethanol as dispersive solvent, pH 6 and 200 μL sample volume. Linearity was observed in the range of 1–500 μg L^?1 for E2 and 0.1–100 μg L^?1 for E1. Limits of detection were 0.1 μg L^?1 for E2 and 0.01 μg L^?1 for E1. The enrichment factors and extraction recoveries were 42.2, 46.4 and 80.4, 86.7, respectively. The relative standard deviations for determination of estrogens in water were in the range of 3.9–7.2 % (n = 3). The developed method was successfully applied for the determination of estrogens in environmental water samples.     

Analysis of PAHs in Water and Fruit Juice Samples by DLLME Combined with LC-Fluorescence Detection

A simple, rapid and efficient method termed dispersive liquid–liquid microextraction combined with liquid chromatography-fluorescence detection, has been developed for the extraction and determination of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in water and fruit juice samples. Parameters such as the kind and volume of extraction solvent and dispersive solvent, extraction time and salt effect were optimized. Under optimum conditions, the enrichment factors ranged from 296 to 462. The linear range was 0.01–100 μg L^?1 and limits of detection were 0.001–0.01 μg L^?1. The relative standard deviations (RSDs, for 5 μg L^?1 of PAHs) varied from 1.0 to 11.5% (n = 3). The relative recoveries of PAHs from tap, river, well and sea water samples at spiking level of 5 μg L^?1 were 82.6–117.1, 74.9–113.9, 77.0–122.4 and 86.1–119.3%, respectively. The relative recoveries of PAHs from grape and apple juice samples at spiking levels of 2.5 and 5 μg L^?1 were 80.8–114.7 and 88.9–123.0%, respectively. It is concluded that the proposed method can be successfully applied for determination of PAHs in water and fruit juice samples.     

Flow-assisted automated solid-phase microextraction for the determination of chloroethers in aqueous matrices

In this study a method of flow-assisted automated solid-phase microextraction (FA-SPME) was developed for the determination of organic pollutants in aqueous samples. A CTC Combi-PAL autosampler coupled with gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC–MS) was used to automate the entire extraction process. In this method, the SPME fibre was exposed to 100 mL of sample in a direct immersion mode for 10 min. After exposure, the fibre was desorbed at the injection port of GC–MS. To demonstrate the applicability of FA-SPME, chloroethers were selected as model compounds. Good linear correlation was found over a concentration range of 0.5–100 µg/L. The detection limits of the method were determined between 0.02 and 0.05 µg/L with the coefficients of determination (R²) from 0.9980 to 0.9996. The relative standard deviations (RSDs) of the FA-SPME for three sequential FA-SPME analyses were determined to be in the range between 1.2% and 6.2% (n = 3). The applicability of the method was assessed by means of recovery studies and satisfactory values for all compounds were obtained. This optimised method was used in the analysis of water and human urine samples to show the matrix effect on FA-SPME. This FA-SPME/GC–MS is substantially faster and suitable for the routine continuous flow-mode environmental monitoring applications.     

Determination of Monobromobimane-Labeled Phytochelatins by High-Performance Liquid Chromatography

A new method for phytochelatins by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) was developed based on a condensation reaction with monobromobimane to produce fluorescent derivatives. Glutathione, H-(γ-glutamic acid-cysteine)₂-glycine-OH, H-(γ-glutamic acid-cysteine)₃-glycine-OH, H-(γ-glutamic acid-cysteine)₄-glycine-OH, H-(γ-glutamic acid-cysteine)₅-glycine-OH, and H-(γ-glutamic acid-cysteine)₆-glycine-OH were well separated, with retention times between 14.68 and 22.0 min. The HPLC method had good linearity (r < 0.9991) between 0.1 mg L^?1 and 100 mg L^?1. The limits of quantification for the analytes (S/N = 3) were 0.08, 0.3, 0.05, 0.3, 0.5, and 0.8 mg L^?1, respectively. The recoveries were between 83.0% and 101.33% with relative standard deviations less than 2%. The reported method is simple, accurate, and suitable for the determination of phytochelatins.     

Fast and Selective Pressurized Liquid Extraction with Simultaneous In-Cell Cleanup for the Analysis of Ethyl Carbamate in Fermented Solid Foods

A novel analytical methodology that could be used to identify ethyl carbamate (EC) in fermented solid foods was developed and validated. The method was based on selective pressurized liquid extraction with a simultaneous in-cell cleanup combined with gas chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry. The final method was performed at 50 °C for 2 × 5 min using ethyl acetate. Florisil was placed inside the extraction cell downstream of the sample to remove interfering compounds. The proposed method showed a limit of detection of 0.3 μg kg^?1 and a limit of quantitation of 1.0 μg kg^?1. The recoveries ranged from 98 to 107 % with relative standard deviations of <7 %. The validated method was successfully applied for the determination of EC in French bread, sauerkraut and fermented bead curd samples.     

Multi-Residue Method for the Screening of Benzimidazole and Metabolite Residues in the Muscle and Liver of Sheep and Cattle Using HPLC/PDAD with DVB-NVP-SO3Na for Sample Treatment

A high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) screening method with a photodiode array detector (PDAD) was established for the simultaneous determination of residues of 13 benzimidazoles (BZDs) and metabolites in sheep and cattle muscle and liver. Samples were extracted by ultrasonication in ethyl acetate and purified over DVB-NVP-SO₃Na sorbent. Under the optimized conditions, good linearities were obtained for BZDs and metabolites with correlation coefficients (R ²) greater than 0.9911. The recoveries of the 13 BZDs and metabolites from spiked samples were 72.0–119.3 %, with intraday and interday relative standard deviations (RSDs) below 22.8 %. The limits of detection (LODs) and quantitation (LOQs) were 0.8–4.9 and 2.6–18.2 μg kg⁻¹, respectively. The results clearly demonstrated that the developed approach enables reliable screening of 12 BZDs and metabolites except flubendazole (FLU) and could be used as a regulatory tool for the screening of BZD and metabolite residues in the muscle and liver of sheep and cattle.