Validated dispersive liquid-liquid microextraction for analysis of organophosphorous pesticides in water

Dispersive liquid-liquid microextraction (DLLME) combined with gas chromatography and mass spectrometry (GC-MS) was applied to the determination of six organophosphorous pesticides (OPPs) in water samples. The analytes included in this study were prophos, diazinon, chlorpyrifos methyl, methyl parathion, fenchlorphos and chlorpyrifos. Several extraction and dispersion solvents were tested for dispersive liquid-liquid microextraction of these analytes and the best results were obtained using chloroform as extraction solvent and 2-propanol as dispersion solvent. Calibration curves of the analytes in water samples were constructed in the concentration range from 100 to 1100 ng/L for prophos, diazinon and methyl parathion and in the range from 100 to 1000 ng/L for chlorpyrifos methyl, fenchlorphos and chlorpyrifos. Limits of detection (LODs) were in the range of 1.5-9.1 ng/L and limits of quantification (LOQs) were in the range of 5.1-30.3 ng/L, below the maximum admissible level for drinking water. Relative standard deviations (RSDs) were between 6.5 and 10.1% in the concentration range of 100-1000 ng/L. The relative recoveries (%RRs) of tap, well and irrigation water samples fortified at 800 ng/L were in the range of 46.1-129.4%, with a larger matrix effect being detected in tap water.     

Dispersive liquid-liquid microextraction of organophosphorous pesticides using nonhalogenated solvents

Dispersive liquid-liquid microextraction (DLLME) combined with gas chromatography and mass spectrometry (GC-MS) was applied to the determination of five organophosphorous pesticides (OPPs) in water samples. The analytes included in this study were prophos, diazinon, chlorpyrifos methyl, fenchlorphos, and chlorpyrifos. The use of nonhalogenated solvents (cyclohexane, heptane, and octane) as extraction solvents was investigated using acetone, acetonitrile, or methanol, as dispersion solvents. The combination of less polar dispersion solvents (1-propanol and 2-propanol) and nonhalogenated extraction solvents was also studied in dispersive liquid-liquid microextraction for the first time. Several experimental conditions were tested (nature and volume of extraction solvents, nature and volume of dispersion solvents, salting-out effect) and the corresponding enrichment factors and recoveries were evaluated. The best microextraction condition was obtained using 50 μL of cyclohexane and 0.3 mL of 1-propanol. The detection and quantification limits were in the low ppt range, with values between 3.3-8.0 ng/L and 11.0-26.6 ng/L, respectively. Relative standard deviations were between 6.6 and 13.1% for a fortification level of 500 ng/L. At the same fortification level, the relative recoveries (RR) of Alvito's dam water, Judeu's river water, and well water samples were in the range of 50.3-97.1%.     

Extraction of organophosphorus pesticides in water and juice using ultrasound‐assisted emulsification–mixroextraction

In this study, a microextraction method termed as ultrasound‐assisted emulsification–microextraction (USAEME) has been developed for the extraction of organophosphorus pesticides (OPPs) in water and orange juice samples. In the USAEME method, aliquots of 50 μL chlorobenzene used as extraction solvent was added to 10 mL water sample in a conical glass centrifugal tube. Factors influencing the USAEME extraction efficiency such as sonication time, extraction solvent, extraction volume and salt addition were evaluated. Under the optimum conditions, enrichment factors ranged from 241 to 311, LOD varied from 5.3 to 10.0 ng/L and linearity with a coefficient of estimation (r²) varied from 0.9991 to 0.9998 in the concentration level range of 0.05–2.5 μg/L for the extraction of OPPs in water samples. Finally, the proposed USAEME method was used for the extraction of OPPs from water and orange juice. The recoveries were in the range of 80.0–110.0%, and the repeatability of the method expressed as RSD (n=3) varied between 1.6 and 13%. The USAEME method has the advantage of being easy to operate, low consumption of organic solvent and high extraction efficiency.     

Tandem use of solid-phase extraction and dispersive liquid-liquid microextraction for the determination of mononitrotoluenes in aquatic environment

Solid‐phase extraction (SPE) in tandem with dispersive liquid–liquid microextraction (DLLME) has been developed for the determination of mononitrotoluenes (MNTs) in several aquatic samples using gas chromatography‐flame ionization (GC‐FID) detection system. In the hyphenated SPE‐DLLME, initially MNTs were extracted from a large volume of aqueous samples (100 mL) into a 500‐mg octadecyl silane (C₁₈) sorbent. After the elution of analytes from the sorbent with acetonitrile, the obtained solution was put under the DLLME procedure, so that the extra preconcentration factors could be achieved. The parameters influencing the extraction efficiency such as breakthrough volume, type and volume of the elution solvent (disperser solvent) and extracting solvent, as well as the salt addition, were studied and optimized. The calibration curves were linear in the range of 0.5–500 μg/L and the limit of detection for all analytes was found to be 0.2 μg/L. The relative standard deviations (for 0.75 μg/L of MNTs) without internal standard varied from 2.0 to 6.4% (n=5). The relative recoveries of the well, river and sea water samples, spiked at the concentration level of 0.75 μg/L of the analytes, were in the range of 85–118%.     

Sensitive determination of amide herbicides in environmental water samples by a combination of solid‐phase extraction and dispersive liquid–liquid microextraction prior to GC–MS

In this paper, solid‐phase extraction (SPE) in combination with dispersive liquid–liquid microextraction (DLLME) has been developed as a sample pretreatment method with high enrichment factors for the sensitive determination of amide herbicides in water samples. In SPE–DLLME, amide herbicides were adsorbed quantitatively from a large volume of aqueous samples (100 mL) onto a multiwalled carbon nanotube adsorbent (100 mg). After elution of the target compounds from the adsorbent with acetone, the DLLME technique was performed on the resulting solution. Finally, the analytes in the extraction solvent were determined by gas chromatography–mass spectrometry. Some important extraction parameters, such as flow rate of sample, breakthrough volume, sample pH, type and volume of the elution solvent, as well as salt addition, were studied and optimized in detail. Under optimum conditions, high enrichment factors ranging from 6593 to 7873 were achieved in less than 10 min. There was linearity over the range of 0.01–10 μg/L with relative standard deviations of 2.6–8.7%. The limits of detection ranged from 0.002 to 0.006 μg/L. The proposed method was used for the analysis of water samples, and satisfactory results were achieved.     

Determination of organophosphorous pesticides in water using in-syringe ultrasound-assisted emulsification and gas chromatography with electron-capture detection

An in-syringe ultrasound-assisted emulsification microextraction (USAEME) was developed for the extraction of organophosphorus pesticides (OPPs) from water samples. The OPPs subsequently analyzed gas chromatography (GC) using a microelectron capture detector (μECD). Ultrasound radiation was applied to accelerate the emulsification of μL-level low-density organic solvent in aqueous solutions to enhance the microextraction efficiency of OPPs in the sample preparation for GC-μECD. Parameters affecting the efficiency of USAEME, such as the extraction solvent, solvent volume, pH, salt-addition, and extraction time were thoroughly investigated. Based on experimental results, OPPs were extracted from a 5 mL aqueous sample by the addition of 20 μL toluene as the extraction solvent, followed by ultrasonication for 30 s, and then centrifugation for 3 min at 3200 rpm, offered the best extraction efficiency. Detections were linear in the concentration of 0.01–1 μg/L with detection limits between 1 ng/L and 2 ng/L for OPPs. Enrichment factors ranged from 330 to 699. Three spiked aqueous samples were analyzed, and recovery ranged from 90.1% to 104.7% for farm-field water, and 90.1% to 101.8% for industrial wastewater. The proposed method provides a simple, rapid, sensitive, inexpensive, and eco-friendly process for determining OPPs in water samples.     

Ultrapreconcentration and determination of organophosphorus pesticides in water by solid‐phase extraction combined with dispersive liquid–liquid microextraction and high‐performance liquid chromatography

Solid‐phase extraction coupled with dispersive liquid–liquid microextraction was developed as an ultra‐preconcentration method for the determination of four organophosphorus pesticides (isocarbophos, parathion‐methyl, triazophos and fenitrothion) in water samples. The analytes considered in this study were rapidly extracted and concentrated from large volumes of aqueous solutions (100 mL) by solid‐phase extraction coupled with dispersive liquid–liquid microextraction and then analyzed using high performance liquid chromatography. Experimental variables including type and volume of elution solvent, volume and flow rate of sample solution, salt concentration, type and volume of extraction solvent and sample solution pH were investigated for the solid‐phase extraction coupled with dispersive liquid–liquid microextraction with these analytes, and the best results were obtained using methanol as eluent and ethylene chloride as extraction solvent. Under the optimal conditions, an exhaustive extraction for four analytes (recoveries >86.9%) and high enrichment factors were attained. The limits of detection were between 0.021 and 0.15 μg/L. The relative standard deviations for 0.5 μg/L of the pesticides in water were in the range of 1.9–6.8% (n = 5). The proposed strategy offered the advantages of simple operation, high enrichment factor and sensitivity and was successfully applied to the determination of four organophosphorus pesticides in water samples.     

Ultra-preconcentration and determination of thirteen organophosphorus pesticides in water samples using solid-phase extraction followed by dispersive liquid–liquid microextraction and gas chromatography with flame photometric detection

An ultra-preconcentration technique composed of solid-phase extraction (SPE) and dispersive liquid–liquid microextraction (DLLME) coupled with gas chromatography–flame photometric detection (GC–FPD) was used for determination of thirteen organophosphorus pesticides (OPPs) including phorate, diazinon, disolfotane, methyl parathion, sumithion, chlorpyrifos, malathion, fenthion, profenphose, ethion, phosalone, azinphose-methyl and co-ral in aqueous samples. The analytes were collected from large volumes of aqueous solutions (100 mL) into 100 mg of a SPE C₁₈ sorbent. The effective variables of SPE including type and volume of elution solvent, volume and flow rate of sample solution, and salt concentration were investigated and optimized. Acetone was selected as eluent in SPE and disperser solvent in DLLME and chlorobenzene was used as extraction solvent. Under the optimal conditions, the enrichment factors were between 15,160 and 21,000 and extraction recoveries were 75.8–105.0%. The linear range was 1–10,000 ng L^?1 and limits of detection (LODs) were between 0.2 and 1.5 ng L^?1. The relative standard deviations (RSDs) for 50 ng L^?1 of OPPs in water with and without an internal standard, were in the range of 1.4–7.9% (n = 5) and 4.0–11.6%, respectively. The relative recoveries of OPPs from well and farm water sat spiking levels of 25 and 250 ng L^?1 were 88–109%.     

Application of ceramic/carbon composite as a novel coating for solid-phase microextraction

A ceramic/carbon composite was developed and applied as a novel coating for solid-phase microextraction (SPME). The ceramic/carbon coating exhibited several good properties for SPME, such as high extraction quantities and enhanced thermal and organic solvent stability. Under scanning electron microscopy (SEM), the tightly attached coating layer on stainless steel wire revealed excellent mechanical characteristics. Single fiber and fiber-to-fiber reproducibility were less than 6.9 and 9.5%, respectively. The effects of extraction and desorption parameters such as extraction time, stirring rate, ionic strength, and desorption temperature and desorption time on the extraction/desorption efficiency were investigated and optimized. Coupled to gas chromatography with a flame thermionic detector, the optimized SPME method was applied to the analysis of organophosphorus pesticides (OPPs) in aqueous samples. The calibration curves were linear from 0.05 to 200 ng mL(-1) for fenchlorphos, pirimiphos-methyl, chlorpyrifos, ethion and from 0.2 to 200 ng mL(-1) for quinalphos, and the limits of detection were between 5.2 and 34.6 ng L(-1). The recovery of the OPPs spiked in real water samples at 5 ng mL(-1) ranged from 86.2 to 103.4% and the relative standard deviations were less than 8.5%.     

Polyol‐enhanced dispersive liquid–liquid microextraction coupled with gas chromatography and nitrogen phosphorous detection for the determination of organophosphorus pesticides from aqueous samples,fruit juices,and vegetables

Polyol‐enhanced dispersive liquid–liquid microextraction has been proposed for the extraction and preconcentration of some organophosphorus pesticides from different samples. In the present study, a high volume of an aqueous phase containing a polyol (sorbitol) is prepared and then a disperser solvent along with an extraction solvent is rapidly injected into it. Sorbitol showed the best results and it was more effective on the extraction recoveries of the analytes than inorganic salts such as sodium chloride, potassium chloride, and sodium sulfate. Under the optimum extraction conditions, the method showed low limits of detection and quantification within the ranges of 12–56 and 44–162 pg/mL, respectively. Enrichment factors and extraction recoveries were in the ranges of 2799–3033 and 84–92%, respectively. The method precision was evaluated at a concentration of 10 ng/mL of each analyte, and relative standard deviations were found to be less than 5.9% for intraday (n = 6) and less than 7.8% for interday (n = 4). Finally, some aqueous samples were successfully analyzed using the proposed method and four analytes (diazinon, dimethoate, chlorpyrifos, and phosalone) were determined, some of them at ng/mL level.     

Dispersive liquid–liquid microextraction using extraction solvent lighter than water

For the first time a dispersive liquid–liquid microextraction method on the basis of an extraction solvent lighter than water was presented in this study. Three organophosphorus pesticides (OPPs) were selected as model compounds and the proposed method was carried out for their preconcentration from water samples. In this extraction method, a mixture of cyclohexane (extraction solvent) and acetone (disperser) is rapidly injected into the aqueous sample in a special vessel (see experimental section) by syringe. Thereby, a cloudy solution is formed. In this step, the OPPs are extracted into the fine droplets of cyclohexane dispersed into aqueous phase. After centrifuging the fine droplets of cyclohexane are collected on the upper of the extraction vessel. The upper phase (0.40 μL) is injected into the gas chromatograph (GC) for separation. Analytes were detected by a flame ionization detector (FID) (for high concentrations) or MS (for low concentrations). Some important parameters, such as the kind of extraction and dispersive solvents and volume of them, extraction time, temperature, and salt amount were investigated. Under the optimum conditions, the enrichment factors (EFs) ranged from 100 to 150 and extraction recoveries varied between 68 and 105%, both of which are relatively high over those of published methods. The linear ranges were wide (10–100 000 μg/L for GC‐FID and 0.01–1 μg/L for GC‐MS) and LODs were low (3–4 μg/L for GC‐FID and 0.003 μg/L for GC‐MS). The RSDs for 100.0 μg/L of each OPP in water were in the range of 5.3–7.8% (n = 5).     

Application of pneumatic nebulization single‐drop microextraction for the determination of organophosphorous pesticides by gas chromatography–mass spectrometry

Organophosphorous pesticides (OPPs) including dichlorvos, diazinon, malathion, phenamiphos and chlorpyrifos, in water samples were extracted by pneumatic nebulization single‐drop microextraction (PN‐SDME) and then determined by gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC‐MS). Experimental parameters affecting the performances of PN‐SDME, such as flow rate of carrier gas, extraction time and microdrop volume, were examined and optimized. The limits of detection for the analytes were in the range of 0.0014–0.0019 μg/mL. The linear range was 0.0050–0.50 μg/mL, except dichlorvos (0.0070–0.50 μg/mL). Water samples were analyzed and the recoveries of the analytes in the spiked water samples were from 75.2 to 105.3%. The relative standard deviations were lower than 12.7%.     

Ionic liquid-based dispersive liquid-liquid microextraction for sensitive determination of aromatic amines in environmental water

Ionic liquid-based dispersive liquid-liquid microextraction was developed for the extraction and preconcentration of aromatic amine from environmental water. A suitable mixture of extraction solvent (100 μL, 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium hexafluorophoshate) and dispersive solvent (750 μL, methanol) were injected into the aqueous samples (10.00 mL), forming a cloudy solution. After centrifuging, enriched analytes in the sediment phase were determined by HPLC-UV. The effect of various factors, such as the extraction and dispersive solvent, sample pH, extraction time and salt effect were investigated. Under optimum conditions, enrichment factors for 2-anilinoethanol, o-chloroaniline and 4-bromo-N,N-dimethylaniline were above 50 and the limits of detection (LODs) were 0.023, 0.015 and 0.026 ng/mL, respectively. Their linear ranges were 0.8-400 ng/mL for 2-anilinoethanol, 0.5-200 ng/mL for o-chloroaniline and 0.4-200 ng/mL for 4-bromo-N,N-dimethylaniline, respectively. Relative standard deviations (RSDs) were below 5.0%. The relative recoveries from samples of environmental water were in the range of 82.0-94.0%. Compared with other methods, dispersive liquid-liquid microextraction is simple, rapid, sensitive and economical.     

Determination of four sulfonylurea herbicides in tea by matrix solid‐phase dispersion cleanup followed by dispersive liquid–liquid microextraction

Matrix solid‐phase dispersion combined with dispersive liquid–liquid microextraction has been developed as a new sample pretreatment method for the determination of four sulfonylurea herbicides (chlorsulfuron, bensulfuron‐methyl, chlorimuron‐ethyl, and pyrazosulfuron) in tea by high‐performance liquid chromatography with diode array detection. The extraction and cleanup by matrix solid‐phase dispersion was carried out by using CN‐silica as dispersant and carbon nanotubes as cleanup sorbent eluted with acidified dichloromethane. The eluent of matrix solid‐phase dispersion was evaporated and redissolved in 0.5 mL methanol, and used as the dispersive solvent of the following dispersive liquid–liquid microextraction procedure for further purification and enrichment of the target analytes before high‐performance liquid chromatography analysis. Under the optimum conditions, the method yielded a linear calibration curve in the concentration range from 5.0 to 10 000 ng/g for target analytes with a correlation coefficients (r²) ranging from 0.9959 to 0.9998. The limits of detection for the analytes were in the range of 1.31–2.81 ng/g. Recoveries of the four sulfonylurea herbicides at two fortification levels were between 72.8 and 110.6% with relative standard deviations lower than 6.95%. The method was successfully applied to the analysis of four sulfonylurea herbicides in several tea samples.     

Analysis of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in water and beverages using membrane-assisted solvent extraction in combination with large volume injection-gas chromatography-mass spectrometric detection

Membrane-assisted solvent extraction (MASE) in combination with large volume injection-gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (LVI-GC-MS) was applied for the determination of 16 polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in aqueous samples. The MASE conditions were optimized for achieving high enrichment of the analytes from aqueous samples, in terms of extraction conditions (shaking speed, extraction temperature and time), extraction solvent and composition (ionic strength, sample pH and presence of organic solvent). Parameters like linearity and reproducibility of the procedure were determined. The extraction efficiency was above 65% for all the analytes and the relative standard deviation (RSD) for five consecutive extractions ranged from 6 to 18%. At optimized conditions detection limits at the ng/L level were achieved. The effectiveness of the method was tested by analyzing real samples, such as river water, apple juice, red wine and milk.     

Automated analysis of 2-methyl-3-furanthiol and 3-mercaptohexyl acetate at ng L(-1) level by headspace solid-phase microextracion with on-fibre derivatisation and gas chromatography-negative chemical ionization mass spectrometric determination

A new method was used for the extraction of organophosphorus pesticides (OPPs) from water samples: dispersive liquid-liquid microextraction (DLLME) coupled with gas chromatography-flame photometric detection (GC-FPD). In this extraction method, a mixture of 12.0 microL chlorobenzene (extraction solvent) and 1.00 mL acetone (disperser solvent) is rapidly injected into the 5.00 mL water sample by syringe. Thereby, a cloudy solution is formed. In fact, the cloudy state is because of the formation of fine droplets of chlorobenzene, which has been dispersed among the sample solution. In this step, the OPPs in water sample are extracted into the fine droplets of chlorobenzene. After centrifuging (2 min at 5000 rpm), the fine droplets of chlorobenzene are sedimented in the bottom of the conical test tube (5.0+/-0.3 microL). Sedimented phase (0.50 microl) is injected into the GC for separation and determination of OPPs. Some important parameters, such as kind of extraction and disperser solvent and volume of them, extraction time, temperature and salt effect were investigated. Under the optimum conditions, the enrichment factors and extraction recoveries were high and ranged between 789-1070 and 78.9-107%, respectively. The linear range was wide (10-100,000 pg/mL, four orders of magnitude) and limit of detections were very low and were between 3 to 20 pg/mL for most of the analytes. The relative standard deviations (RSDs) for 2.00 microg/L of OPPs in water with internal standard were in the range of 1.2-5.6% (n=5) and without internal standard were in the range of 4.6-6.5%. The relative recoveries of OPPs from river, well and farm water at spiking levels of 50, 500 and 5000 pg/mL were 84-125, 88-123 and 93-118%, respectively. The performance of proposed method was compared with solid-phase microextraction (SPME) and single drop microextraction. DLLME is a very simple and rapid (less than 3 min) method, which requires low volume of sample (5 mL). It also has high enrichment factor and recoveries for extraction of OPPs from water.     

Macrocyclic polyamine‐functionalized silica as a solid‐phase extraction material coupled with ionic liquid dispersive liquid–liquid extraction for the enrichment of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons

In this study, silica modified with a 30‐membered macrocyclic polyamine was synthesized and first used as an adsorbent material in SPE. The SPE was further combined with ionic liquid (IL) dispersive liquid–liquid microextraction (DLLME). Five polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons were employed as model analytes to evaluate the extraction procedure and were determined by HPLC combined with UV/Vis detection. Acetone was used as the elution solvent in SPE as well as the dispersive solvent in DLLME. The enrichment of analytes was achieved using the 1,3‐dibutylimidazolium bis[(trifluoromethyl)sulfonyl]imide IL/acetone/water system. Experimental conditions for the overall macrocycle‐SPE–IL‐DLLME method, such as the amount of adsorbent, sample solution volume, sample solution pH, type of elution solvent as well as addition of salt, were studied and optimized. The developed method could be successfully applied to the analysis of four real water samples. The macrocyclic polyamine offered higher extraction efficiency for analytes compared with commercially available C₁₈ cartridge, and the developed method provided higher enrichment factors (2768–5409) for model analytes compared with the single DLLME. Good linearity with the correlation coefficients ranging from 0.9983 to 0.9999 and LODs as low as 0.002 μg/L were obtained in the proposed method.     

Low density miniaturized homogeneous liquid-liquid extraction: a new high throughput sample preparation technique for the determination of polar pesticides in cow milk

The application of miniaturized homogeneous liquid-liquid extraction (MHLLE) technique as a simple, inexpensive, quick and efficiency clean up method has been evaluated for determination of diazinon, alachlor, chlorpyrifos and butachlor in cow milk samples. Methanol was used as extraction solvent for the extraction of analytes from cow milk samples and then, methanol phase was extracted and cleaned up by MHLLE method. In this method, butyl acetate was added to methanol phase and after addition of water, butyl acetate was separated from methanol phase and injected to the GC/TSD instrument. The concentration ranges were from 1.0–1000.0 ng/mL for diazinon and chlorpyrifos and from 5.0–1000.0 ng/mL for alachlor and butachlor. The limits of detection were 0.4, 1.6, 0.3 and 1.4 ng/mL for diazinon, alachlor, chlorpyrifos and butachlor, respectively. Finally, the extraction method was successfully applied to the analysis of raw cow milk samples.     

Optimization of a single-drop microextraction procedure for the determination of organophosphorus pesticides in water and fruit juice with gas chromatography-flame photometric detection

A single-drop microextraction (SDME) procedure was developed for the analysis of organophosphorus pesticides (OPPs) in water and fruit juice by gas chromatography (GC) with flame photometric detection (GC-FPD). The significant parameters affecting the SDME performance such as selection of microextraction solvent, solvent volume, extraction time, stirring rate, sample pH and temperature, and ionic strength were studied and optimized. Two types of SDME mode, static and cycle-flow SDME, were evaluated. The static SDME procedure provided more sensitive analysis of the target analytes. Therefore, static SDME with tributyl phosphate (TBP) as internal standard was selected for the real sample analysis. The limits of detection (LODs) in water for the six studied compounds were between 0.21 and 0.56 ng/mL with the relative standard deviations ranging from 1.7 to 10.0%. Linear response data was obtained in the concentration range of 0.5-50 ng/mL (except for dichlorvos 1.0-50 ng/mL) with correlation coefficients from 0.9995 to 0.9999. Environmental water sample collected from East Lake and fruit juice samples were successfully analyzed using the proposed method, but none of the analytes in both lake water and fruit juice were detected. The recoveries for the spiked water and juice samples were from 77.7 to 113.6%. Compared with the conventional methods, the proposed method enabled a rapid and simple determination of organophosphorus pesticides in water and fruit juice with minimal solvent consumption and a higher concentration capability.