A (−)‐norephedrine‐based molecularly imprinted polymer for the solid‐phase extraction of psychoactive phenylpropylamino alkaloids from Khat (Catha edulis Vahl. Endl.) chewing leaves

A molecularly imprinted polymer (MIP) was prepared using (?)‐norephedrine as the template, methacrylic acid as the functional monomer, ethylene glycol dimethacrylate as the cross‐linker and chloroform as the porogen. The MIP was used as a selective sorbent in the molecularly imprinted solid‐phase extraction (MIP‐SPE) of the psychoactive phenylpropylamino alkaloids, norephedrine and its analogs, cathinone and cathine, from Khat (Catha edulis Vahl. Endl.) leaf extracts prior to HPLC‐DAD analysis. The MIP was able to selectively extract the alkaloids from the aqueous extracts of Khat. Loading, washing and elution of the alkaloids bound to the MIP were evaluated under different conditions. The clean baseline of the Khat extract obtained after MIP‐SPE confirmed that a selective and efficient sample clean‐up was achieved. Good recoveries (90.0–107%) and precision (RSDs 2.3–3.2%) were obtained in the validation of the MIP‐SPE‐HPLC procedure. The content of the three alkaloids in Khat samples determined after treatment with MIP‐SPE and a commercial Isolute C₁₈ (EC) SPE cartridge were in good agreement. These findings indicate that MIP‐SPE is a reliable method that can be used for sample pre‐treatment for the determination of Khat alkaloids in plant extracts or similar matrices and could be applicable in pharmaceutical, forensic and biomedical laboratories. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Adsorption of carbaryl using molecularly imprinted microspheres prepared by precipitation polymerization

To obtain the desired specific adsorbents for carbaryl to enrichment, separation, and analysis of trace pesticide residues in environmental water, molecularly imprinted polymer (MIP) microspheres were prepared by precipitation polymerization using carbaryl, methacrylic acid (MAA), ethylene glycol dimethacrylate (EGDMA), azobisisobutyronitrile (AIBN), and acetonitrile as template, functional monomer, cross‐linker, initiator, and porogen, respectively. Molecular modeling software was used to compute rational interaction between the template molecule and function monomer. The adsorption properties of carbaryl in acetonitrile for imprinted microspheres were evaluated by equilibrium rebinding experiments. Scatchard plot analysis revealed that there was one class of binding sites populated in the imprinted polymer microspheres with dissociation constants of 3.3 × 10^?2 mol/l and an apparent maximum number of 1.95 µmol/g. The specificity of the imprinted microspheres was investigated by binding analysis using carbaryl and structurally related carbamate pesticides. The results indicated that the obtained imprinted microspheres showed a good selectivity for carbaryl. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Preconcentration of Nicotinamide Using Molecularly Imprinted Microspheres for Solid-phase Extraction with Determination by High-performance Liquid Chromatography

The determination of target molecules in complicated matrices such as biological samples is largely dependent on sample pretreatment. Molecularly imprinted solid-phase extraction (SPE), using molecularly imprinted polymers as the adsorbent, has been demonstrated to be effective for the selective enrichment of target molecules in biological samples. In this study, molecularly imprinted polymeric microspheres were fabricated by two-step swelling polymerization using polystyrene particles as seeds, nicotinamide as the template, methacrylic acid as a functional monomer, and ethylene glycol dimethacrylate as a cross-linker. The molecularly imprinted polymeric microspheres were packed into empty SPE cartridges, and the spiked urine and serum samples were loaded separately. After an initial washing and elution step, the effluents were analyzed by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) using 1:9 methanol/0.05% phosphoric acid. The obtained molecularly imprinted polymeric microspheres were uniform, and the spherical particles were well distributed. The established method was validated, and the results showed that the method was linear from 0.499 to 19.96?µg?mL^?1. The limits of detection and quantification for nicotinamide were 0.3 and 0.9?µg?mL^?1, respectively. The relative standard deviations were 1.55 and 2.86% in urine and serum, respectively. The spiked recoveries of nicotinamide were 86.0–98.8% and 87.0–96.8% in urine and serum, respectively. The molecularly imprinted SPE and HPLC methods in this study are useful for the pretreatment and determination of the target compounds in these matrices.     

Determination of t,t-muconic acid in urine samples using a molecular imprinted polymer combined with simultaneous ethyl chloroformate derivatization and pre-concentration by dispersive liquid–liquid microextraction

The present communication describes the preparation and evaluation of a molecularly imprinted polymer (MIP) as a solid-phase extraction (SPE) sorbent and simultaneous ethyl chloroformate (ECF) derivatization and pre-concentration by dispersive liquid–liquid microextraction (DLLME) for the analysis of t,t-muconic acid (t,t-MA) in urine samples using gas chromatography–mass spectrometry. The imprinting polymer was prepared using methacrylic acid as a functional monomer, ethylene glycol dimethacrylate as a cross-linker, 2,2-azobisisobutyronitrile as the initiator and t,t-MA as a template molecule. The imprinted polymer was evaluated for its use as a SPE sorbent by comparing both imprinted and non-imprinted polymers in terms of the recovery of t,t-MA from urine samples. Molecular modelling studies were performed in order to estimate the binding energy and efficiency of the MIP complex formed between the monomer and the t,t-MA. Various factors that can affect the extraction efficiency of MIP, such as the loading, washing and eluting conditions, were optimized; other factors that can affect the derivatization and DLLME pre-concentration were also optimized. MIP in combination with ECF derivatization and DLLME pre-concentration for t,t-MA exhibits good linearity, ranging from 0.125 to 2 μg?mL^?1 (R ²?=?0.9971), with limit of detection of 0.037 μg?mL^?1 and limit of quantification of 0.109 μg?mL^?1. Intra- and inter-day precision was found to be <6 %. The proposed method has been proven to be effective and sensitive for the selective pre-concentration and determination of t,t-MA in urine samples of cigarette smokers.

Sensitive Stripping Determination of Cadmium(II) and Lead(II) on Disposable Graphene Modified Screen‐Printed Electrode

In the present work, a sensitive, facile and disposable sensing platform for trace analysis of heavy metal ions was developed at the Bi modified graphene‐poly(sodium 4‐styrenesulfonate) composite film screen printed electrode (GR/PSS/Bi/SPE). The GR/PSS/Bi/SPE improved sensitivity and linearity due to the functionalization of graphene with negatively charged PSS providing more absorbing sites. The detection limit of the GR/PSS/Bi/SPE is found to be 0.042 µg L^?1 for Cd²⁺ and 0.089 µg L^?1 for Pb²⁺ with linear responses of Cd²⁺ and Pb²⁺ in the range of 0.5–120 µg L^?1. Finally, the practical application was confirmed in real water with satisfactory results.     

Nonextractive Trace Level Simultaneous Determination of Mercury(II) and Zinc(II) in Environmental Samples with 2‐(5‐Bromo‐2‐pyridylazo)‐5‐diethylaminophenol and Cetylpyridinium Chloride

Abstract

A simple, rapid, selective, and sensitive method for the derivative spectrophotometric determination of Hg(II) and its simultaneous determination in the presence of Zn(II) using 2‐(5‐bromo‐2‐pyridylazo)‐5‐diethylaminophenol in the presence of cetylpyridinium chloride, a cationic surfactant, has been developed. The molar absorption coefficient and analytical sensitivity of the 1∶1 Hg(II) complex at 558 nm (λ_max) are 5.78×10⁴ L mol^?1 cm^?1 and 0.67 ng mL^?1, respectively. The detection limit of Hg(II) is 1.40×10^?2 ng mL^?1, and Beer's law is valid in the concentration range 0.05–2.40 µg mL^?1. Overlapping spectral profiles of Hg(II) and Zn(II) complexes in zero‐order mode interfere in their simultaneous determination. However, 0.10–2.00 µg mL^?1 of Hg(II) and 0.065–0.650 µg mL^?1 of Zn(II), when present together, can be simultaneously determined at zero cross point of the derivative spectrum, without any prior separation. The relative standard deviation for six replicate measurements of solutions containing 0.134 µg mL^?1 of Hg(II) and 0.620 µg mL^?1 of Zn(II) is 1.72 and 1.47%, respectively. The proposed method has successfully been evaluated for trace level simultaneous determination of Hg(II) and Zn(II) in environmental samples.     

Double-imprinted polymer based on cross-linked poly(vinylimidazole–trimethylolpropane trimethacrylate) in solid phase extraction for determination of lead from wastewater samples by UV–vis spectrophotometry

The monitoring of the heavy metal pollution in wastewater is increasingly becoming a crucial global issue since they tend to accumulate in food chains and can cause many biological abnormalities. In this work, it was developed a novel lead ion-imprinted polymer (IIP) using sodium dodecyl sulphate (SDS) as a second template to be used as adsorbent in solid phase extraction (SPE) for determination of lead from wastewater samples by UV–vis spectrophotometry. The polymer called IIP–SDS was synthesised by a double-imprinting process with lead (template) and SDS (template). IIP–SDS was characterised by infrared spectroscopy Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, thermogravimetric analysis and scanning electron microscopy. IIP–SDS showed good recovery for lead (around 82.0%), while the IIP (only lead as template) was 72.2% and non-IIP was 44.9%. Thus, the double-imprinting process for the preconcentration of Pb²⁺ proved to be a more adequate methodology than IIP with a single template. The optimised parameters of sample preparation were washing solvent (2.0 mL of tetrahydrofuran), type and volume of eluent (5 mL of 1 mol L^?1 hydrochloric acid), sample amount (30 mL of water spiked with 10.0 µg mL^?1), amount of IIP–SDS (400 mg) and sample pH (pH = 4.5). Linearity ranged from 10 to 125 µg L^?1 with r > 0.992. The limit of detection and quantification were 6.3 and 10 µg L^?1, respectively. The precision (relative standard deviation, %) and accuracy (relative error, %) were lower than 15%. Finally, IIP–SDS may be an alternative and effective adsorbent for SPE procedures in monitoring of wastewater samples.     

Sensitive Detection of Capsaicin by Adsorptive Stripping Voltammetry at a Boron‐Doped Diamond Electrode in the Presence of Sodium Dodecylsulfate

In the present paper, a sensitive electroanalytical methodology for the determination of capsaicin using adsorptive stripping voltammetry (AdSV) at a boron‐doped diamond (BDD) electrode is presented. The voltammetric results indicate that in the presence of sodium dodecylsulfate (SDS) the BDD electrode remarkably enhances the oxidation of capsaicin which leads to an improvement of the peak current with a shift of the peak potential to less negative values. A linear working range of 0.05 to 6.0 µg mL^?1 (0.16–20 µM) with a detection limit of 0.012 µg mL^?1 (0.034 µM) has been obtained using BDD electrode by AdSV.     

Quantification of Thiram in Honeybees: Development of a Chemiluminescent ELISA

Abstract

A Chemiluminescence Enzyme‐Linked Immuno‐Sorbent Assay (CL‐ELISA) for determination and quantification of the fungicide thiram in honeybees was developed in an indirect competitive format. The assay was optimized by determining: the optimal coating conjugate concentration and anti‐thiram antiserum dilution, the effect of the incubation time on the competitive step, the tolerance to organic solvents. The IC₅₀ and the limit of detection (LOD) values were 60 ng mL^?1 and 9 ng mL^?1, respectively, similar to those of colorimetric ELISA with a calibration range of 9–15,000 ng mL^?1. Cross reactivity of some related compounds such as some dithiocarbamates, a thiocarbamate, the ethylenethiourea and the tetramethylthiourea were tested. The assay was then applied to honeybees sample extracts obtained by using the liquid‐liquid extraction or the graphitized carbon‐based solid phase extraction.

The calibration curves in honeybee extracts from liquid‐liquid procedure gave an IC₅₀ of 141 ng mL^?1 and a LOD of 17 ng mL^?1. In case of extracts obtained by SPE these values were 139 ng mL^?1 and 15 ng mL^?1, respectively. The average recovery value from honeybee extracts spiked with 75 ng mL^?1 of thiram was 72% for SPE, higher than for liquid‐liquid extraction (60%). On the opposite, when the honeybees were directly spiked with 2 and 10 ppm the average recovery was higher for liquid‐liquid extraction (54%), than for SPE (31%). Finally, the assay was applied to honeybee samples collected during monitoring activities in Italy and Russia.     

Preparation and application of a molecularly imprinted polymer for the determination of trace metolcarb in food matrices by high performance liquid chromatography

In this article, for the first time, a molecularly imprinted polymer (MIP) for the metolcarb was prepared by bulk polymerization using metolcarb as the template, methacrylic acid as the functional monomer and ethylene glycol dimethacrylate as the cross‐linker. The prepared polymer was characterized by FT‐IR, static and kinetic adsorption experiments, and the results showed that it has been successfully synthesized and had good selective ability for metolcarb. The MIP was applied as a sorbent in molecularly imprinted SPE coupled with HPLC‐UV for separation and determination of trace metolcarb in three kinds of food matrices at three concentration levels. Under the optimal conditions, the LODs (S/N=3) of cabbage, cucumber and pear were 7.622, 6.455 and 13.52 μg/kg, respectively, and recoveries were in the range of 68.80–101.31% with RSD (n=3) below 3.78% in all cases. To demonstrate further the selectivity of the MIP obtained, a comparison with commercially available C₁₈ SPE was performed. The results indicated that molecularly imprinted SPE showed better chromatography, better selectivity and higher recoveries for metolcarb than commercially available C₁₈ SPE.     

Synthesis and study of a molecularly imprinted polymer for specific solid‐phase extraction of vinflunine and its metabolite from biological fluids

A molecularly imprinted polymer (MIP) was synthesized in order to specifically extract vinflunine, an anticancer agent, and its metabolite (4‐O‐deacetylvinflunine) from bovine plasma and artificial urine by solid‐phase extraction (SPE). Vinorelbine, a non‐fluorinated analogue of vinflunine, was selected as a template for MIP synthesis. The selectivity of MIP versus the template (vinorelbine) and other alkaloids (catharanthine, vinblastine, vincristine, vinflunine and 4‐O‐deacetylvinflunine) was shown by a SPE protocol carried out with non‐aqueous samples. A second protocol was developed for aqueous samples with two consecutive washing steps (AcOH–NH₂OH buffer (pH 7, I=10 mM)–MeOH mixture 95:5 v/v and ACN–AcOH mixture 99:1 v/v) and an elution step (MeOH–AcOH mixture 90:10 v/v). Thus, MIP‐SPE of bovine plasma brought high recoveries, 81 and 89% for vinflunine and its metabolite, respectively. This protocol was slightly modified for artificial urine samples in order to obtain a good MIP/NIP selectivity; furthermore, elution recoveries were 73 and 81% for vinflunine and its metabolite, respectively. Repeatability was assessed in both biological matrices and RSD (%) were inferior to 4%. The MIP also showed a suitable linearity (r² superior to 0.99), between 0.25 and 10 μg/mL for plasma, and between 1 and 5 μg/mL for artificial urine.     

Solid‐phase Extraction of β‐Sitosterol from Oldenlandia diffusa Using Molecular Imprinting Polymer

The β‐sitosterol imprinted polymer was prepared for selective extraction and analysis of β‐sitosterol from Oldenlandia diffusa (O. diffusa) followed by HPLC with UV detection. The imprinted polymers show high affinity and selectivity to β‐sitosterol. Using this molecularly imprinted polymer (MIP) cartridge as solid‐phase extraction (SPE) material, the interferences could be quickly washed out and β‐sitosterol was selectively retained and enriched. HPLC analysis method was used to evaluate the characteristics of this MIP material. At the condition of mobile phase composed of MeOH/H₂O/H₃PO₄ (99/1/0.1, V/V/V, pH=6.0) and the flow rate of 1.0 mL·min^?1, a good linear relationship was demonstrated when the concentrations of β‐sitosterol were in the range of 0.50–100.0 µg·mL^?1. The recoveries ranged from 75.3% to 86.5% and the inter‐day and intra‐day relative standard deviations were less than 5%. This developed HPLC method was proved to be acceptable for extraction of β‐sitosterol from O. diffusa.     

Selective pretreatment and determination of phenazopyridine using an imprinted polymer-electrospray ionization ion mobility spectrometry system

In this research, selective separation and determination of phenazopyridine (PAP) is demonstrated using molecular imprinted polymer (MIP) coupled with electrospray ionization ion mobility spectrometry (ESI-IMS). In the non-covalent approach, selective MIP produced using PAP and methacrylic acid (MAA) as a template molecule and monomer, respectively. The created polymer is utilized as a media for solid-phase extraction (SPE), revealing selective binding properties for the analyte from pharmaceutical and serum samples. A coupled MIP-IMS makes it possible to quantitize PAP in the range of 1-100 ng mL⁻¹ and with a 0.2 ng mL⁻¹ detection limit. Furthermore, the MIP selectivity is evaluated by application of some substances with analogous and different molecular structures to that of PAP. This method is successfully applied for the determination of PAP in pharmaceutical and serum samples.     

Improved Multianalyte Determination of the Intense Sweeteners Aspartame and Acesulfame‐K with a Solid Sensing Zone Implemented in an FIA Scheme

Abstract

A multianalyte flow‐through sensor is proposed for the simultaneous determination of aspartame (AS) and acesulfame‐K (AK) in tabletop sweeteners. The procedure is based on the transient retention of AK in the ion exchanger Sephadex DEAE A‐25 placed in the flow‐through cell of a monochannel flow injection analysis (FIA) set‐up using pH 2.70 ortophosphoric acid/sodium dihydrogen phosphate buffer 0.06 M as carrier. In these conditions AS is very weakly retained, which makes it possible to measure the intrinsic ultraviolet (UV) absorbance of first AS and then AK after desorption by the carrier itself. The applicable concentration range, the detection limit, and the relative standard deviation were the following: for AS, from 10 to 100 µg mL^?1; 5.65 µg mL^?1; 3.4% (at 50 µg mL^?1); and for AK, between 40 and 100 µg mL^?1; 11.9 µg mL^?1 and 1.61% (at 50 µg mL^?1). The method was applied and validated satisfactorily for the determination of AS and AK blends in tabletop sweeteners. The results were compared against an HPLC reference method.     

High-Performance Liquid Chromatographic Determination of Isofraxidin in Rat Plasma

For the first time a high-performance liquid chromatographic (HPLC) method, with liquid-liquid extraction and ultraviolet (UV) absorbance detection, has been developed for quantification of isofraxidin in rat plasma. The analysis was performed on a Diamonsil C₁₈ column (200 mm × 4.6 mm i.d., 5 μm particle size) with acetonitrile–0.05% phosphoric acid, 26:74 (v/v), as isocratic mobile phase. The linear range was 0.05–8.0 μg mL⁻¹ and the lower limit of quantification was 0.05 μg mL⁻¹. The intra and inter-day relative standard deviation (RSD) for measurement of 0.25, 2.0, and 6.0 μg mL⁻¹ quality-control (QC) samples ranged from 5.7 to 6.4% and from 6.3 to 7.9%, respectively. Accuracy, as relative error (RE), was from ±5.8% to ±7.3%. The method was validated for specificity, accuracy, and precision and was successfully used in a pharmacokinetic study of isofraxidin in rat plasma after administration of Ciwujia extract.     

Facile and Simultaneous Stripping Determination of Zinc,Cadmium and Lead on Disposable Multiwalled Carbon Nanotubes Modified Screen‐Printed Electrode

Screen‐printed electrodes (SPEs) are cheap and disposable. But their application for heavy metal detection is limited due to the low sensitivity and poor selectivity. Here we report the ultrasensitive and simultaneous determination of Zn²⁺, Cd²⁺ and Pb²⁺ on a multiwalled carbon nanotubes and Nafion composite modified SPE with in situ plated bismuth film (MWCNTs/NA/Bi/SPE). The linear curves range from 0.5–100 µg L^?1 for Zn²⁺ and 0.5–80 µg L^?1 for Cd²⁺. Uniquely, the linear curve for Pb²⁺ ranges from 0.05–100 µg L^?1 with a detection limit of 0.01 µg L^?1. The practical application was verified in real samples with satisfactory results.     

Dissipation dynamics of fenoxaprop-p-ethyl and fenoxaprop acid under Indian rice field conditions

Dissipation dynamics of fenoxaprop-p-ethyl (FPPE) and fenoxaprop acid (FPA) (metabolite) in rice field conditions was investigated for two consecutive seasons. FPPE dissipated rapidly in soil with average half life of 1.42–2.19 days. Dissipation followed first-order kinetics. The method was validated in terms of accuracy, linearity, specificity and precision. Linearity was in the range of 0.005–5 µg mL^?1 with limit of detection as 0.002 and 0.001 µg mL^?1 for fenoxaprop-p-ethyl and fenoxaprop acid, respectively. Quantitation limit in soil, grain, straw and husk were 0.005, 0.008, 0.01 and 0.01 µg g^?1 for fenoxaprop-p-ethyl, and 0.005, 0.01, 0.01 and 0.01 µg g^?1 for fenoxaprop acid, respectively. Recovery in soil, rice grains, straw and husk ranged from 81.60–93.40, 77.85–87.00, 75.20–84.40 and 76.00–87.20% for FPPE and 82.50–88.20, 76.25–83.00, 74.80–83.60 and 75.00–85.40% for FPA, respectively. Below detectable limit of residues of FPPE and metabolite were observed in soil, rice grain, husk and straw samples at harvest. FPPE and FPA were of short persistence under field conditions and residues were below European Union-Maximum Residue Limits in all matrices that would cause adverse effect on environment and human/animal health.     

Preparation and Adsorption Ability of Molecularly Imprinted Polymer Microspheres for Malachite Green

Molecularly imprinted polymer (MIP) microspheres were synthesized through precipitation polymerization using malachite green (MG) as template, methacrylic acid (MAA) as monomer, and trimethylolpropane trimethacrylate (TRIM) as cross-linker. The microsphere structure of MIP was characterized by IR spectroscopy and SEM. The influence of preparation conditions such as monomer and cross-linker dosages on the polymer absorption of MG in acetonitrile solution was also explored. Under the optimum synthesis conditions (0.25 mmol MG, 1.5 mmol MAA, 2.5 mmol TRIM, 40 mL acetonitrile), the prepared MIP microspheres have a binding capacity as high as 2000 µg g^?1 of MG with an imprinting factor of above 4.0. The result suggests that the prepared MIP microspheres are promising material for the selective extraction of MG in complicated matrix solutions.     

Genetic Algorithm Applied to Selection of Wavelength in Partial Least Squares for Simultaneous Spectrophotometric Determination of Nitrophenol Isomers

Abstract

Ternary mixtures of nitrophenol isomers have been simultaneously determined in synthetic and real matrix by application of genetic algorithm and partial least squares model. All factors affecting the sensitivity were optimized and the linear dynamic range for determination of nitrophenol isomers found. The simultaneous determination of nitrophenol mixtures by using spectrophotometric methods is a difficult problem, due to spectral interferences. The partial least squares modeling was used for the multivariate calibration of the spectrophotometric data. A genetic algorithm is a suitable method for selecting wavelength for PLS calibration of mixtures with almost identical spectra without loss prediction capacity. The experimental calibration matrix was designed by measuring the absorbance over the range 300–520 nm for 21 samples of 1–20 µg mL^?1, 1–20 µg mL^?1, and 1–10 µg mL^?1 of m‐nitrophenol, o‐nitrophenol, and p‐nitrophenol, respectively. The root mean square error of prediction for m‐nitrophenol, o‐nitrophenol, and p‐nitrophenol with genetic algorithms and without genetic algorithms were 0.3732, 0.5997, 0.3181 and 0.7309, 0.9961, 1.0055, respectively. The proposed method was successfully applied for the determination of m‐nitrophenol, o‐nitrophenol, and p‐nitrophenol in synthetic and water samples.