Size-exclusion chromatography in 1,1,1,3,3,3-hexafluoro-2-propanol

Two molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs) have been synthesised for the selective extraction of 4-nitrophenol (4-NP) from water samples. One polymer was synthesised via a non-covalent approach and the other via a semi-covalent approach. The selectivity of the polymers for 4-NP was evaluated when these polymers were applied in on-line solid-phase extraction (MISPE) coupled to reversed-phase HPLC. The MISPE conditions for both MIPs were optimised and a clean-up step was included to eliminate non-specific interactions. Differences between the two MIPs were observed with the non-covalent MIP being the more selective of the two, whereas the recoveries were slightly higher for the semi-covalent MIP. The performance of the imprinted polymers in the MISPE of real water samples was also evaluated.     

Preparation and application of molecularly imprinted polymer for isolation of chicoric acid from Chicorium intybus L. medicinal plant

Molecularly imprinted polymer (MIP) was synthesized and applied for the extraction of chicoric acid from Chicory herb (Chicorium intybus L.). A computational study was developed to find a suitable template to functional monomer molar ratio for MIP preparations. The molar ratio was chosen based on the comparison of the binding energy of the complexes between the template and functional monomers. Based on the computational results, eight different polymers were prepared using chicoric acid as the template. The MIPs were synthesized in a non-covalent approach via thermal free-radical polymerization, using two different polymerization methods, bulk and suspension. Batch rebinding experiments were performed to evaluate the binding properties of the imprinted polymers. The best results were obtained with a MIP prepared using bulk polymerization with 4-vinylpyridine (4-VP) as the functional monomer and ethylene glycol dimethacrylate (EGDMA) as the crosslinker with a molar ratio of 1:4:20. The best MIP showed selective binding ability toward chicoric acid in the presence of the template’s structural analogues, caffeic acid, caftaric acid and chlorogenic acid.     

Selective recognition of 4-nitrophenol from aqueous solution by molecularly imprinted polymers with functionalized tetratitanate whisker composites as support

Three kinds of molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs) were obtained with surface molecular imprinting technique on functionalized potassium tetratitanate whisker (F-PTW). The results of adsorption experiments indicated that MIP prepared using PTW modified with N-(2-aminoethyl)-3-(trimethoxysilyl)propylamine (AAPTS) (F-PTW A) as support [MIP(1)] was superior to the other two polymers, then MIP(1) was selected to analyze the 4-nitrophenol (4-NP) adsorption process from aqueous solution in this study. AAPTS offered hydrophilic exterior that allowed to self-assemble with the template 4-NP through intermolecular interaction rather than based on the interactions between the functional monomers and template. Equilibrium adsorption data were analyzed by the Langmuir and Freundlich isotherm models at various temperatures. Kinetic properties were successfully investigated by pseudo-first-order model, pseudo-second-order model, intraparticle diffusion equation, initial adsorption rate, half-adsorption time. A diffusion-controlled process as the essential adsorption rate-controlling step was also proposed. The performance of such imprinted polymer was further demonstrated by high-performance liquid chromatography, and the results showed that the selectivity of MIP(1) exhibited higher affinity for template 4-NP over competitive phenolic compounds than that of non-imprinted polymer NIP(1). MIP(1) could be reused four times without significant loss in the adsorption capacity.     

Preparation of a molecularly imprinted polymer for the solid-phase extraction of scopolamine with hyoscyamine as a dummy template molecule

Molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs) selective for scopolamine were produced using hyoscyamine (a close structural analogue) as template molecule. The produced polymers were used as media for solid-phase extraction, exhibiting selective binding properties for the analyte from biological samples. Human and calf urine and serum were processed on the MIP under various extraction protocols. The best performance was observed after loading the analyte in aqueous environment facilitating retention on the MIP by non-selective hydrophobic interactions. The MIPs were subsequently washed using an optimised solvent system to enable selective desorption of the analyte. Other related and non-related compounds were accessed to evaluate molecular recognition properties. Recoveries of up to 79% were achieved for the analyte of interest from biological samples.     

Water-compatible molecularly imprinted polymers for efficient direct injection on-line solid-phase extraction of ropivacaine and bupivacaine from human plasma

Two novel molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs) selected from a combinatorial library of bupivacaine imprinted polymers were used for selective on-line solid-phase extraction of bupivacaine and ropivacaine from human plasma. The MIPs were prepared using methacrylic acid as the functional monomer, ethylene glycol dimethacrylate as the cross-linking monomer and in addition hydroxyethylmethacrylate to render the polymer surface hydrophilic. The novel MIPs showed high selectivity for the analytes and required fewer and lower concentrations of additives to suppress non-specific adsorption compared with a conventional MIP. This enabled the development of an on-line system for direct extraction of buffered plasma. Selective extraction was achieved without the use of time-consuming solvent switch steps, and transfer of the analytes from the MIP column to the analytical column was carried out under aqueous conditions fully compatible with reversed-phase LC gradient separation of analyte and internal standard. The MIPs showed excellent aqueous compatibility and yielded extractions with acceptable recovery and high selectivity.     

Computer aided-molecular design and synthesis of a high selective molecularly imprinted polymer for solid-phase extraction of furosemide from human plasma

Highly selective molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs) for solid-phase extraction and determination of furosemide in human plasma have been designed and prepared. In order to study the intermolecular interactions in the pre-polymerization mixture and to find a suitable functional monomer in MIP preparation, a computational approach was developed. It was based on the comparison of the binding energy of the complexes between the template and functional monomers. Having confirmed the results of computational method, three MIPs were synthesized with different functional monomers, i.e. acrylamide (AAM), 4-vinylpiridine (4-VP) and acrylonitrile (ACN), and then evaluated using Langmuir-Freundlich (LF) isotherm. Using the MIP prepared by AAM as functional monomer, a molecularly imprinted solid-phase extraction procedure followed by high performance liquid chromatography with ultraviolet detector (MISPE-HPLC-UV) was developed for selective extraction and determination of furosemide in human plasma. For the proposed MISPE-HPLC-UV method, the linearity between responses (peak area) and concentration was found over the range of 75-3500 ng mL⁻¹ with a linear regression coefficient (R²) of 0.997. The limit of detection (LOD) and quantification (LOQ) in plasma were 12.9 and 43.3 ng mL⁻¹, respectively.     

Molecularly imprinted solid-phase extraction of naphthalene sulfonates from water

A new polymeric sorbent synthesised by exploiting molecular imprinting technology has been used to selectively extract naphthalene sulfonates (NSs) directly from aqueous samples. In the non-covalent molecular imprinting approach used to prepare this polymer, 1-naphthalene sulfonic acid (1-NS) and 4-vinylpyridine (4-VP) were used as a template molecule and functional monomer, respectively, and both dissolved in a mixture of methanol/water (4:1) as porogen together with the cross-linker ethylene glycol dimethacrylate. The new non-covalent molecularly imprinted polymer (MIP) prepared in aqueous environment was used as a sorbent in solid-phase extraction (SPE) to selectively extract a group of naphthalene mono- and disulfonates. When one litre of a standard aqueous solution, which contained a mixture of eight NSs, was percolated through the SPE cartridge, all the NSs were retained on the MIP because of the cross-reactivity of the polymer. Recoveries were higher than 80% for all the compounds even after a clean-up step with methanol (MeOH). The MIP was also used to analyse water from the Ebro river.     

Optimization of polymerization parameters for the sorption of oseltamivir onto molecularly imprinted polymers

Molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs) are tailor-made polymers with high selectivity for a given analyte, or group of structurally related compounds. The influence of the process parameters (the moles of functional monomer and cross-linker, the selection of functional monomer and solvent) on the preparation of oseltamivir (OS)-imprinted polymers was investigated. A mathematical method for uniform design to optimize these selected parameters and to increase the MIP selectivity for template molecules was applied. The optimal conditions to synthesize MIP were 0.69 mmol 30% acrylamide (AA) + 70% 4-Vinylpyridine (4-VP) and 5.0 mmol ethylene glycol dimethacrylate (EGDMA) copolymerized in 5 ml toluene in the presence of 0.1 mmol OS. MIP showed high affinity and selectivity for separation of the template molecule from other compounds. In the present study, we have established an effective LC-MS/MS method to identify and quantify OS with good sensitivity, accuracy and precision.     

A facile approach for synthesizing molecularly imprinted graphene for ultrasensitive and selective electrochemical detecting 4-nitrophenol

In this work, a novel and convenient strategy was developed to prepare molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs) on the surface of graphene sheet. In this route, vinyl group functionalized graphene (GR/NVC) was first prepared by immobilizing 4-vinylcarbazole onto the surface of graphene via π–π interaction. The subsequent grafting copolymerization of methacrylic acid and ethylene glycol dimethacrylate in the presence of 4-nitrophenol (4-NP, template molecule) was carried out at GR/NVC surface, leading to the formation of GR/MIPs composite. The GR/MIPs composite was characterized by FTIR, fluorescence, TGA, SEM and AFM, and was used to fabricate electrochemical sensor for the detection of 4-NP. The electrochemical behavior of GR/MIPs sensor for 4-NP was investigated by cyclic voltammetry (CV) and differential pulse voltammetry (DPV). The effects of the preparation conditions, such as concentration of the NVC and template, the solution pH, and incubation time, were also optimized. Under optimized conditions, the DPV current response of GR/MIPs sensor was nearly 12 times than that of the GR/NIPs sensor. It also should be noted that as compared to traditional MIP, shorter response time and much higher current response were demonstrated. In addition, the GR/MIPs sensor could recognize 4-NP from its structural analogs, indicating the excellent selectivity of the GR/MIPs sensor. The peak current is linearly proportional to the concentration of 4-NP ranging from 0.01 μM to 100 μM and 200 μM to 1000 μM with a significantly low detection limit of 5 nM, a wider response range and lower detection limits as compared to most of the previously reported electrochemical sensors for 4-NP. Furthermore, the GR/MIPs sensor exhibits good stability with adequate reproducibility and has been successfully used to determine 4-NP in water samples.     

Selective extraction of organophosphorus nerve agent degradation products by molecularly imprinted solid-phase extraction

The analysis of alkyl alkylphosphonic acids, the degradation products of V and G nerve agents as VX, Sarin or Soman, is an important task for the verification of compliance to the Chemical Weapons Convention. The detection of these contaminants at low concentration levels is often difficult in complex matrices due to the amount of interfering substances. Molecularly imprinted solid-phase extraction technique should allow a selective extraction of these compounds from complex samples, and thus make their detection easier. Two molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs) prepared with methacrylic acid (MAA) as monomer and pinacolyl methylphosphonic acid (PMPA) as template molecule were synthesised and tested. The first polymer, MIP A, was prepared with ethylene glycol dimethacrylate (EGDMA) in dichloromethane. The second polymer, MIP B, was synthesised using trimethylolpropane trimethacrylate (TRIM) in acetonitrile. To evaluate the selectivity provided by these MIPs, the retention of the ethyl methylphosphonic acid (EMPA) target molecule was studied in parallel on a non-imprinted polymer (NIP). While MIP A does not show any difference compared to NIP A, a good selectivity was obtained for MIP B. After the optimisation of the extraction process, 60% of EMPA can be removed from the NIP B without affecting the retention on the MIP B. A recovery of extraction of 93% was then obtained on the MIP B. Its capacity was then measured and corresponds to 97 microg of EMPA per gram of MIP. Finally, the selectivity of MIP B was clearly demonstrated by applying it to the clean-up of a soil extract spiked with EMPA.     

Multilayer perceptron network and Vyazovkin method applied to the non-isothermal kinetic study of the interaction between lumefantrine and molecularly imprinted polymer

Journal of Thermal Analysis and Calorimetry - Molecularly imprinted polymers (MIP) have been used primarily to improve selectivity in solid-phase extraction. Synthetic MIPs composed by 2-vinyl...     

Characterization of molecularly imprinted polymers for the extraction of tobacco alkaloids and their metabolites in human urine

Molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs) are synthetic polymers designed to selectively extract target analytes from complex matrices (including biological matrices). The literature shows that MIPs have a degree of cross-selectivity from analytes within the same class of compounds. A commercially available MIP for tobacco-specific nitrosamines (TSNAs) is designed to be class selective for four TSNA compounds. This study sought to characterize the extent of cross-selectivity of the TSNA MIPs with other tobacco alkaloids. Cross-selectivity and recovery of the SupelMIP™ TSNA SPE cartridges was assessed with N-nitrosonornicotine (NNN), nicotine, cotinine and morphine. Their recoveries were compared with the recoveries of a nonimprinted polymer SPE cartridge, and two traditional SPE cartridges: a Waters mixed-mode cation exchange cartridge and a Waters hydrophilic–lipophilic balance cartridge. NNN and cotinine had the highest recoveries with the MIP cartridge, over 80%, and cotinine samples in urine had >80% recoveries. Nicotine had highly variable recoveries, possibly owing to differing chemical properties from the TSNAs. All three analytes had significantly different recoveries with the MIP cartridges compared with the traditional SPE cartridges. Morphine displayed nonspecific interactions with the MIP cartridges. Utilization of the TSNAs’ cross-selectivity allows for simultaneous extraction and identification of multiple tobacco biomarkers using one extraction technique.     

Synthetic approaches to parabens molecularly imprinted polymers and their applications to the solid-phase extraction of river water samples

In this paper we describe the synthesis, characterisation and use of two distinct molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs) prepared using esters of p-hydroxybenzoic acid (parabens) as templates: one MIP was synthesised by precipitation polymerisation using a semi-covalent molecularly imprinting strategy with methyl paraben as the template/target (MIP 1); the second MIP was prepared in monolithic form through a conventional non-covalent molecular imprinting strategy, with butyl paraben as the template (MIP 2). MIP 1 recognized methyl paraben, showed cross-selectivity for other parabens analytes used in the study and higher affinity towards these compounds than did a non-imprinted control polymer. Similarly, MIP 2 demonstrated higher affinity towards paraben analytes than a non-imprinted control polymer.For the analysis of environmental water samples, a solid-phase extraction (SPE) protocol was developed using MIP 2 as sorbent, and results were compared to a SPE using a commercial sorbent (Oasis HLB). With MIP 2 as sorbent and butyl paraben as target, when percolating 500 mL of river water spiked at 1 μg L⁻¹ through the SPE cartridge, and using 1 mL of isopropanol as cleaning solvent, a higher recovery of butyl 4-hydroxybenzoate (butyl paraben) and a cleaner chromatogram where achievable when using the MIP compared to the commercial sorbent.     

Synthesis of molecularly imprinted polymers for the application of selective clean-up vinblastine from Catharanthus roseus extract

Molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs) are synthetic tailor-made polymers with high selectivity towards a particular substance (template). An MIP using vinblastine (VLB) as the template molecule was synthesized and characterized. The presence of monomer-template complexes in a non-covalent way was confirmed by UV-vis spectrometry analysis. The polymerization was performed using methacrylic acid (MAA) as the functional monomer, ethylene glycol dimethacrylate (EGDMA) as the cross-linking agent, and toluene as the porogenic solvent by a thermo-polymerization method. The characterization of the obtained MIP was evaluated by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) analysis. It was observed that the morphology of the MIP was more porous and rough, and the surface area had a significant increase compared with that of the non-imprinted polymer (NIP). This MIP was used as the sorbents of solid-phase extraction (SPE) to assess the selectivity of the MIP after optimization of the SPE protocol. VLB was specifically adsorbed on the MIP cartridge, while to vincristine (VCR), the chemical analog of VLB, almost no selective binding appeared. On the basis of the results, Catharanthus roseus extract was applied to the MIP cartridge for investigating its capability to extract VLB from the plant extract, and the capacity of the MIP cartridge was also evaluated. It was shown that the MIP could effectively enrich VLB from C. roseus extract and the recovery amounted to 93.8%. The solvents dissolving the samples had significant influence on the capacity of the MIP cartridge; it was 750 μg/g in toluene, 625 μg/g in chloroform, and 250 μg/g in methanol.     

Grafting of molecularly imprinted polymers from the surface of silica gel particles via reversible addition-fragmentation chain transfer polymerization: A selective sorbent for theophylline

Molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs) were grafted successfully from the surface of silica gel particles via surface initiated reversible addition-fragmentation chain transfer (RAFT) polymerization using RAFT agent functionalized silica gel as the chain transfer agent. The intrinsic characteristics of the controlled/living polymerization mechanism of RAFT allowed for the effective control of the grafting process. Thus the grafting copolymerization of methacrylic acid and divinyl benzene in the presence of template theophylline led to thin MIP film coating silica gel (MIP-Silica). The thickness of MIP film prepared in this study is about 1.98 nm, which was calculated from the nitrogen sorption analysis results. Measured binding kinetics for theophylline to the MIP-Silica and MIPs prepared by conventional bulk polymerization demonstrated that MIP-Silica had improved mass-transfer properties. In addition, the theophylline-imprinted MIP-Silica was used as the sorbent in solid-phase extraction to determine theophylline in blood serum with satisfactory recovery higher than 90%. Nonspecific adsorption of interfering compounds can be eliminated by a simple elution with acetonitrile, without sacrificing the selective binding of theophylline.     

Affinity screening by packed capillary high performance liquid chromatography using molecular imprinted sorbents. II. Covalent imprinted polymers

This study concentrates on the production of covalent molecular imprint polymers (MIPs) as highly selective sorbents for nortriptyline (NOR), a representative tricyclic antidepressant (TCA). The functionalized template contains a polymerizable 4-vinylphenyl carbamate moiety used to bind the template molecule to the polymer matrix. Polymerization with a cross-linker followed by hydrolytic cleavage of the labile carbamate functionality leaves an MIP with selective binding sites capable of binding template through hydrogen bonding interactions. Demonstrated chromatographically through a "selection index", these MIPs showed high selectivity for the template molecule (NOR) among a library of structurally similar compounds. The recognition was found to correlate with structural similarity to the template compound. A direct comparison between covalent and non-covalent molecular imprinting strategies reveals a great deal of improvement in the peak shape of the retained compound resulting from covalent imprinting (evidenced by peak asymmetry factors A.).     

Clean up of phenylurea herbicides in plant sample extracts using molecularly imprinted polymers

Two different molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs) were prepared by precipitation polymerization using linuron or isoproturon (phenylurea herbicides) as templates and trifluormethacrylic acid as functional monomer. These materials were used as selective sorbents in the development of molecularly imprinted solid-phase extraction (MISPE) procedures for the determination of several phenylurea herbicides (fenuron, metoxuron, chlortoluron, isoproturon, metobromuron, and linuron) in plant samples extracts. The MISPE procedures were fully optimized and applied to the clean up of selected phenylurea herbicides in carrot, potato, corn, and pea sample extracts and finally determined by HPLC-UV at 244 nm. Although a high degree of clean up was obtained, a decrease of the MIP recognition capabilities was observed in subsequent runs. Thus, a previous clean up protocol based on the use of a non-imprinted polymer was used to prevent the loss of MIP performance and to ease the removal of interferences. Following this procedure, namely two-step MISPE, matrix compounds were almost completely removed by the non-imprinted polymer retaining the ability of MIPs to selectively rebind target analytes unaltered. The developed MISPE procedures allowed the screening of phenylurea herbicides in plant samples at concentration levels required by established European maximum residue limits.     

Molecularly imprinted polymers for solid-phase extraction and solid-phase microextraction: recent developments and future trends

Molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs) are synthetic polymers having a predetermined selectivity for a given analyte, or group of structurally related compounds, that make them ideal materials to be used in separation processes. In this sense, during past years a huge amount of papers have been published dealing with the use of MIPs as sorbents in solid-phase extraction, namely molecularly imprinted solid-phase extraction (MISPE). Although the majority of these papers were restricted to describe the use of different templates for different applications, several attempts proposing new alternatives to minimize the inherent drawbacks of the preparation and use of MIPs (i.e. template bleeding, tedious synthesis procedure, etc.) have been reported. Thus, this paper does not pretend to be a collection of MISPE-related papers but to give an overview on the significant attempts carried out during recent years to improve the performance of MIPs in solid-phase extraction. In addition, the use of MIPs packed in high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) columns for the direct injection of crude sample extracts and the preparation of imprinted fibres for solid-phase microextraction will be also discussed.     

分子印迹技术制备石油有机硫组分固相萃取剂的研究

用分子印迹技术合成了对石油有机硫组分二苯并噻吩(Dibenzothiophene，DBT)具有高效选择性的分子模板聚合物(Molecularly Imprinted Polymer，MIP)，通过静态吸附的方法研究了不同功能单体和致孔剂及其用量对模板聚合物特异性识别能力的影响．实验表明，以4-乙烯基吡啶(4-VP)为功能单体，在甲苯溶剂中聚合得到的固相萃取剂对DBT具有较大的吸附富集能力和识别特性．其饱和吸附容量达到48．3mg／g．