Analysis of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in soil and sediment with on-line coupled pressurised hot water extraction,hollow fibre microporous membrane liquid-liquid extraction and gas chromatography

Pressurised hot water extraction (PHWE) was coupled on-line via hollow fibre microporous membrane liquid-liquid extraction (HF-MMLLE) to gas chromatography (GC) and applied in the analysis of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in soil and sediment. In this combination, the MMLLE unit serves as a trapping device for the extracted compounds. Simultaneously it cleans and concentrates the extract, which is then transferred on-line to the GC. No extra clean-up steps are required between the trapping and the transfer to GC. The on-line system gives excellent sensitivity while allowing small sample size. The method was linear, with limits of detection in the range 50-890 pg and limits of quantification 0.11-1.22 microg g(-1). The concentration enrichment factors obtained with the method ranged from 9 to 55. Comparison of the results with those obtained by other techniques confirmed the good performance.     

Analysis of PAH compounds in soil with on-line coupled pressurised hot water extraction–microporous membrane liquid–liquid extraction–gas chromatography

Pressurised hot water extraction (PHWE) was coupled on-line with microporous membrane liquid-liquid extraction (MMLLE) and gas chromatography (GC) in the analysis of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) compounds in soil. The MMLLE serves as a trapping device after the PHWE. Water from PHWE is directed to the donor side of the membrane unit and the analytes are extracted to the acceptor solution on the other side of the membrane. The role of MMLLE is to clean and concentrate the extract, which is then transferred on-line to the GC via a sample loop and an on-column interface using partially concurrent solvent evaporation. Separate optimisation of MMLLE and simulations of the PHWE-MMLLE connection were carried out before the actual on-line coupling. After optimisation of the whole on-line system, the efficiencies of the PHWE-MMLLE-GC and PHWE-solid-phase trap extractions were compared. The PHWE-MMLLE-GC method allowed on-line analysis of soil samples. The method was linear, with limits of detection in the range 0.05-0.13 ng and limits of quantification 0.65-1.66 microg g(-1). Comparison of the results with those obtained by other techniques confirmed the good performance.     

Preparation and evaluation of a molecularly imprinted sol-gel material for on-line solid-phase extraction coupled with high performance liquid chromatography for the determination of trace pentachlorophenol in water samples

A highly selective imprinted amino-functionalized silica gel sorbent was prepared by combining a surface molecular imprinting technique with a sol-gel process for on-line solid-phase extraction-HPLC determination of trace pentachlorophenol (PCP) in water samples. The PCP-imprinted amino-functionalized silica sorbent was characterized by FT-IR, SEM, nitrogen adsorption and the static adsorption experiments. The imprinted functionalized silica gel sorbent exhibited high selectivity and offered a fast kinetics for the adsorption and desorption of PCP. The prepared sorbent was shown to be promising for on-line solid-phase extraction for HPLC determination of trace levels of PCP in environmental samples. With a sample loading flow rate of 5 ml min(-1) for 2 min, an enhancement factor of 670 and a detection limit (S/N = 3) of 6 ng l(-1) were achieved at a sample throughput of five samples h(-1). The precision (RSD) for nine replicate on-line sorbent extractions of 10 microgl(-1) PCP was 3.8%. The sorbent also offered good linearity (r = 0.9997) for on-line solid-phase extraction of trace levels of PCP. The method was applied to the determination of PCP in local lake water, river water and wastewater samples.     

On-line coupled dynamic sonication-assisted extraction–liquid chromatography for the determination of phenolic acids in Lamiaceae herbs

A fast and efficient on-line coupled dynamic sonication-assisted extraction–liquid chromatography (DSAE–LC) method was developed for the determination of phenolic acids in basil, oregano, rosemary, sage, spearmint and thyme. The extraction and chromatography were coupled via a solid-phase trap filled with strong anion exchange material. The relative standard deviations (RSDs) for the retention times were less than 0.4% and those for the peak heights less than 3% except for gallic acid (RSD 1.2% for the retention times and 11% for the peak heights). Limits of detection were below ∼3 ng.     

On-line trace enrichment of phenolic compounds from water using a pyrrole-based polymer as the solid-phase extraction sorbent coupled with high-performance liquid chromatography

A pyrrole-based conductive polymer was prepared and applied as new sorbent for on-line solid-phase extraction (SPE) of phenol and chlorophenols from water samples. Polypyrrole (PPy) was synthesized by chemical oxidation of the monomer in non-aqueous solution. The efficiency of this polymer for extraction of phenol and chlorophenols was evaluated using 35 mg of PPy as the sorbent in an on-line SPE system coupled to reversed-phase liquid chromatography with UV detection. The mobile phase were mixture of phosphate buffer-acetonitrile and compounds were eluted by the mobile phase using a six-port switching valve. High volumes of water, up to 160 ml, could be preconcentrated without the loss of phenols, except for the more polar ones. The R.S.D. for a river water sample spiked with phenol and chlorophenols at sub-ppb level was lower than 7% (n=5) and detection limits of 15-100 and 35-150 ng l⁻¹ for tap and river water were obtained, respectively.     

Pressurised hot water extraction-microporous membrane liquid-liquid extraction coupled on-line with gas chromatography-mass spectrometry in the analysis of pesticides in grapes

Pressurised hot water extraction-microporous membrane liquid-liquid extraction was coupled on-line with gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (PHWE-MMLLE-GC-MS) for the analysis of pesticides in grapes. MMLLE serves as a trapping step after PHWE. Water from PHWE is directed to the donor side of the membrane unit and the analytes are extracted to the acceptor solution on the other side. The role of MMLLE is to clean and concentrate the extract before on-line transfer to the GC via a sample loop and an on-column interface using partially concurrent solvent evaporation. The extraction conditions were investigated, and then the quantitative features such as linearity, limit of quantification (LOQ), extraction yield and enrichment factors. LOQs in the range 0.3-1.8 microg kg(-1) were achieved. Procymidone and tetradifon were found in the skins of the grapes. The results were in good agreement with those obtained by liquid-solid and ultrasonic extractions.     

On-line coupling of subcritical water extraction with high-performance liquid chromatography via solid-phase trapping

Although ambient water is very polar and cannot dissolve many organic species, water at elevated temperatures behaves like a polar organic solvent. Thus, subcritical water has been proven to be an effective extraction fluid for several classes of organic compounds. While solvent trapping was used to collect the extracted analytes in most of previous subcritical water extractions, sorbent trapping has also been developed for subcritical water extraction. In this study, an on-line system for subcritical water extraction and high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) was built and tested. A sorbent trap was used as the interface between subcritical water extraction and HPLC. Several shut-off valves have been utilized to switch the system from one mode to another (e.g., from the extraction mode to HPLC mode). The coupling technique of subcritical water extraction and HPLC eliminates the liquid-liquid extraction used in solvent trapping subcritical water extraction and provides higher sensitivity. Compared to the off-line system reported in an earlier work, the operation of this on-line system is even easier. Some peak broadening occurred after the coupling the water extraction with HPLC for the analytes studied. The performance of this on-line system was evaluated by the extraction and determination of caffeine, nitrotoluenes, polychlorinated biphenyls, chlorophenols and anilines.     

Comparison of different trapping methods for pressurised hot water extraction

Four trapping methods for pressurised hot water extraction were compared in terms of recovery and selectivity. Also, robustness, repeatability and solvent consumption of the trapping systems were investigated. The trapping methods were collection into solvent following liquid-liquid extraction, solid-phase trapping into Tenax TA (SPE), flat sheet microporous membrane liquid-liquid extraction and hollow fibre microporous membrane liquid-liquid extraction. Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons were extracted with these systems from four soil and sediment matrices and the extracts were analysed by GC-MS and size-exclusion chromatography. Clear differences were observed in the selectivity and extraction efficiencies of the trapping systems.     

Chemically modified polymeric sorbents for sample preconcentration

Solid-phase extraction is an attractive alternative in sample preparation because it overcomes many drawbacks of liquid-liquid extraction and makes on-line determination possible by hyphenation with chromatographic techniques. Driven by the need for more effective and more selective sorbents, advances in solid-phase extraction include the development of new materials. This paper describes different types of chemically modified sorbents for the solid-phase extraction of compounds from aqueous samples. Chemical introduction of different functional groups into a polymeric resin improves the efficiency of solid-phase extraction by providing better surface contact with the aqueous samples; also, these sorbents have a greater capacity than the typical solid-phase materials for polar compounds have. The most important new sorbents are the chemically modified resins based on styrene-divinylbenzene copolymers. Preparation of these new sorbents is described, and advantages and drawbacks of off-line procedures and on-line procedures are also discussed. Applications for off-line and on-line chromatographic determinations of polar compounds are presented.     

涡流色谱技术在生物样品分析中的应用

生物样品的复杂性使其在进行分析测定前必须经过处理。传统的样品前处理方法(如液-液萃取、固相萃取等)耗时长且操作繁琐。涡流色谱作为在线萃取技术,可以实现生物样品直接进样,减少了样品处理步骤,有效富集纯化了分析物,是一种高通量、高选择性的生物样品前处理方法。为此,本文介绍了涡流色谱技术的原理及优势,并总结了不同涡流柱的特点及其在生物样品分析领域中的应用情况。     

Comparison of on-line SPE-HPLC and SPME-GC for the analysis of microcontaminants in water

Summary Solid-phase preconcentration coupled on-line with liquid chromatography, and solid-phase microextraction coupled with gas chromatography have been applied to the determination of trace-level concentrations of benzene and sulfur compounds (tetrahydrothiophene (THT),t-butyl mercaptan (TBM), andn-butyl mercaptan (nBM)) in aqueous media. The first technique uses a microcolumn packed with a styrene-divinylbenzene copolymer. Retention values for THT, TBM, and benzene on this sorbent, expressed as the capacity factors, are 1100, 1600, and 4000, respectively. It is, therefore, possible to preconcentrate them efficiently and this method enables minimum concentrations of 0.05, 0.7, and 0.8 μg L⁻¹, respectively, to be reached. In microextraction, a fine silica fiber coated with a thin layer of polydimethylsiloxane is used. The partition coefficients of the analytes between the polymeric coating and water have been determined to be 40, 115, and 110 for THT, TBM, and benzene, respectively. When sampling is performed from the liquid phase, partition equilibrium is reached within 5 to 20 minutes, or more quickly when the solution is agitated. Using a flame ionization detector, detection limits for THT, TBM, and benzene were 3, 5, and 0.2 μg L⁻¹, respectively. Extraction of volatile or semi-volatile analytes can also be performed from the headspace with very similar detection limits. In addition, the extraction time is shorter since equilibrium is reached within 1 to 1.5 minute, which can again be reduced by agitation of the sample. The advantages and drawbacks of both techniques are gathered and discussed in this paper, which also underlines their complementarity.     

Membrane-based techniques for sample enrichment

Sample preparation techniques based on non-porous membrane extraction generally offer a high degree of selectivity and enrichment power, together with convenient possibilities for direct and automated connections to chromatographic and other analytical instruments. In this review principles and applications for techniques as supported liquid membrane extraction, microporous membrane liquid-liquid extraction, polymeric membrane extraction and membrane extraction with a sorbent interface are described and compared.     

Solid-phase extraction on alkyl-bonded silica gels in inorganic analysis.

Solid-phase extraction (SPE) is an effective tool for the preconcentration of trace elements and their separation from various sample constituents. Octadecyl and other alkyl-bonded silica gels are most widely used for these purposes. The fundamentals of the SPE of inorganic ions are reviewed and compared with those of related techniques (liquid-liquid extraction and reversed-phase liquid chromatography). The extraction of ions in the form of chelate compounds, inorganic salts solvated by neutral reagents, and ion-pair compounds is considered. Numerous applications of SPE to the separation and preconcentration of different elements and their species, including on-line combinations with instrumental determination techniques, are described and tabulated.     

On-line coupling of solid-phase extraction to high-performance liquid chromatography for determination of estrogens in environment

A method based on on-line solid-phase extraction (SPE) coupling to high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) for the determination of estrogens has been developed. This method can continuously perform extraction of estrone, estradiol, estriol and diethylstilbestrol from aqueous samples without any other pretreatment, which can then be analyzed by HPLC with a UV detector at 230 nm. A pre-concentration column was adapted with methanol/water for chromatographic separation and two kinds of sorbents were involved, which are octadecyl-bonded silica and cigarette filter. The condition of pH of samples, sample loading flow rate and desorption time were all optimized, and the performances of both two sorbents were satisfactory. The on-line SPE system requires very low maintenance and just involved a switching-valve-filter system and a flow-inject pump, and the operation of the whole SPE-HPLC instrumentation is quite simple. The detection limits for pre-concentrating 50 mL of standard solution using cigarette filter as sorbent ranged from 0.98 to 78.1 ng L⁻¹. The enhancement factors were in the range of 197-326. The recoveries of estrogens spiked in real water samples ranged from 85 to 112%. The precisions for nine replicate measurements of a standard mixture (5.0 μg L⁻¹) were in the range of 1.0-3.4%.     

Sample preparation for the analysis of volatile organic compounds in air and water matrices

This review summarizes literature data from the past 5 years on new developments and/or applications of sample preparation methods for analysis of volatile organic compounds (VOC), mainly in air and water matrices. Novel trends in the optimization and application of well-established airborne VOC enrichment techniques are discussed, like the implementation of advanced cooling systems in cryogenic trapping and miniaturization in adsorptive enrichment techniques. Next, focus is put on current tendencies in integrated sampling-extraction-sample introduction methods such as solid phase microextraction (SPME) and novel in-needle trapping devices. Particular attention is paid to emerging membrane extraction techniques such as membrane inlet mass spectrometry (MIMS) and membrane extraction with a sorbent interface (MESI). For VOC enrichment out of water, recent evolutions in direct aqueous injection (DAI) and liquid-liquid extraction (LLE) are highlighted, with main focus on miniaturized solvent extraction methods such as single drop microextraction (SDME) and liquid phase microextraction (LPME). Next, solvent-free sorptive enrichment receives major attention, with particular interest for innovative techniques such as stir bar sorptive extraction (SBSE) and solid phase dynamic extraction (SPDE). Finally, recent trends in membrane extraction are reviewed. Applications in both immersion and headspace mode are discussed.     

On-line sample treatment—capillary gas chromatography

Summary Sample pretreatment is often the bottleneck of a tracelevel analytical procedure. In order to increase performance, increasing attention is therefore being devoted to combining sample pretreatment on-line with the separation technique that has to be used. In the present review, a variety of procedures in use today for sample treatment coupled on-line to capillary gas chromatography (GC) is briefly discussed. Special attention is devoted to coupled-column techniques such as SPE-GC and LC-GC (SPE, solid-phase extraction; LC, column liquid chromatography) which are topics of much current interest, also because of their frequent use in so-called hyphenated systems.     

On-line combination of aqueous-sample preparation and capillary gas chromatography.

An overview is presented of methods currently in use to combine the preparation of aqueous samples on-line with capillary gas chromatography. Two approaches can be distinguished: heartcut-orientated reversed-phase liquid chromatography-gas chromatography (GC) and analyte-isolation-orientated analyte extraction-GC. These approaches either use techniques in which water is directly introduced onto the GC column, or an indirect approach in which water is eliminated, i.e., by solid-phase extraction, solid-phase microextraction or liquid-liquid extraction, prior to introduction of the analytes onto the GC column. The latter type of approach is much more successful and user friendly, and many applications have been reported.     

Pressurised hot water extraction coupled on-line with liquid chromatography-gas chromatography for the determination of brominated flame retardants in sediment samples

Pressurised hot water extraction (PHWE) was coupled on-line with liquid chromatography-gas chromatography (LC-GC) to determine brominated flame retardants in sediment samples. After extraction with pressurised hot water the analytes were adsorbed in a solid-phase trap. The trap was dried with nitrogen and the analytes were eluted to the LC column, where the extract was cleaned, concentrated and fractionated before transfer to the GC system. The fraction containing the brominated flame retardants was transferred to the GC system via an on-column interface. The PHWE-LC-GC method was linear from 0.0125 to 2.5 microg with limits of detection in the range 0.70-1.41 ng/g and limits of quantification 6.16-12.33 ng/g.     

Comparison of Hydrophilic Polymeric Sorbents for On-Line Solid-Phase Extraction of Polar Compounds from Aqueous Samples

Two 4-vinylimidazole-divinylbenzene (4VIm-DVB) polymers were synthesized and applied as sorbents for on-line solid-phase extraction (SPE) followed by liquid chromatography for analyzing polar compounds in aqueous samples. The new sorbents (4VIm-DVB) were compared to another sorbent that had been previously synthesized by our group (N-vinylimidazole-divinylbenzene (NVIm-DVB)) and to the commercial OASIS^® HLB and Strata^TM X. All the sorbents enabled 100 mL of sample to be on-line concentrated with good recoveries for the studied polar compounds. Real water samples were analyzed using NVIm-DVB and OASIS^® HLB as SPE sorbent, for which the best results were obtained.     

Silica supported Fe3O4 magnetic nanoparticles for magnetic solid-phase extraction and magnetic in-tube solid-phase microextraction: application to organophosphorous compounds

This work demonstrates the application of silica supported Fe₃O₄ nanoparticles as sorbent phase for magnetic solid-phase extraction (MSPE) and magnetic on-line in-tube solid-phase microextraction (Magnetic-IT-SPME) combined with capillary liquid chromatography–diode array detection (CapLC-DAD) to determine organophosphorous compounds (OPs) at trace level. In MSPE, magnetism is used as separation tool while in Magnetic-IT-SPME, the application of an external magnetic field gave rise to a significant improvement of the adsorption of OPs on the sorbent phase. Extraction efficiency, analysis time, reproducibility and sensitivity have been compared. This work showed that Magnetic-IT-SPME can be extended to OPs with successful results in terms of simplicity, speed, extraction efficiency and limit of detection. Finally, wastewater samples were analysed to determine OPs at nanograms per litre.