Ultrasonic nebulization extraction coupled with headspace single-drop microextraction of volatile and semivolatile compounds from the seed of Cuminum cyminum L

Ultrasonic nebulization extraction (UNE) coupled with headspace single-drop microextraction (HS-SDME) was developed. In the UNE process, the analytes were transferred from the aqueous phase to the gas phase. Then the analytes were transferred from the gas phase to the solvent phase by the carrier gas and extracted and enriched with suspended microdrop solvent. Finally, the microdrop solvent injected into GC-MS system. The parameters affecting extraction performance, such as type of suspended solvent, microdrop volume, flow rate of carrier gas, temperature of extraction vessel and extraction time were investigated and optimized. The proposed method can be applied for the extraction and enrichment of the volatile and semivolatile compounds simultaneously. The extraction efficiency of the proposed method was compared with that of ultrasonic extraction (UE) and UE-HS-SDME. Compared with UE-HS-SDME, the contents of constituents in the extract obtained by the proposed method were closer to those obtained by hydrodistillation (HD), which is a standard extraction method.     

Ultrasonic nebulization extraction-heating gas flow transfer-headspace single drop microextraction of essential oil from pericarp of Zanthoxylum bungeanum Maxim

The ultrasonic nebulization extraction-heating gas flow transfer coupled with headspace single drop microextraction (UNE-HGFT-HS-SDME) was developed for the extraction of essential oil from Zanthoxylum bungeanum Maxim. The gas chromatography-mass spectrometry was applied to the determination of the constituents in the essential oil. The contents of the constituents from essential oil obtained by the proposed method were found to be more similar to those obtained by hydro-distillation (HD) than those obtained by ultrasonic nebulization extraction coupled with headspace single drop microextraction (UNE-HS-SDME). The heating gas flow was firstly used in the analysis of the essential oil to transfer the analytes from the headspace to the solvent microdrop. The relative standard deviations for determining the five major constituents were in the range from 1.5 to 6.7%. The proposed method is a fast, sensitive, low cost and small sample consumption method for the determination of the volatile and semivolatile constituents in the plant materials.     

Determination of organochlorine pesticides in water using solvent cooling assisted dynamic hollow-fiber-supported headspace liquid-phase microextraction

The organic solvent film formed within a hollow fiber was used as an extraction interface in the headspace liquid-phase microextraction (HS-LPME) of organochlorine pesticides. Some common organic solvents with different vapor pressures (9.33-12,918.9 Pa) were studied as extractants. The results indicated that even the solvent with the highest vapor pressure (cyclohexane) can be used to carry out the extraction successfully. However, those compounds (analytes) with low vapor pressures could not be extracted successfully. In general, the large surface area of the hollow fiber can hasten the extraction speed, but it can increase the risk of solvent loss. Lowering the temperature of the extraction solvent could not only reduce solvent loss (by lowering its vapor pressure) but also extend the feasible extraction time to improve extraction efficiency. In this work, a solvent cooling assisted dynamic hollow-fiber-supported headspace liquid-phase microextraction (SC-DHF-HS-LPME) approach was developed. By lowering the temperature of the solvent, the evaporation can be decreased, the extraction time can be lengthened, and, on the contrary, the equilibrium constant between headspace phase and extraction solvent can be increased. In dynamic LPME, the extracting solvent is held within a hollow fiber, affixed to a syringe needle and placed in the headspace of the sample container. The extracting solvent within the fiber is moved to-and-fro by using a programmable syringe pump. The movement facilitates mass transfer of analyte(s) from the sample to the solvent. Analysis of the extract was carried out by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). The effects of identity of extraction solvent, extraction temperature, sample agitation, extraction time, and salt concentration on extraction performance were also investigated. Good enrichments were achieved (65-211-fold) with this method. Good repeatabilities of extraction were obtained, with RSD values below 15.2%. Detection limits were 0.209 microg/l or lower.     

Dynamic three-phase hollow fiber microextraction based on two immiscible organic solvents with automated movement of the acceptor phase

Dynamic three-phase hollow fiber liquid-liquid-liquid microextraction (HF-LLLME) based on two immiscible organic solvents, with automated movement of organic acceptor phase to facilitate mass transfer was introduced for the first time. Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons were used as model compounds and extracted from water and soil samples. The extraction involved filling an 8 cm length of hollow fiber with 25 μL of organic acceptor solvent using a microsyringe, followed by impregnation of the pores in the fiber wall with n-dodecane. The fiber was then immersed in 20 mL of aqueous sample solution. During extraction, the organic acceptor phase was repeatedly moved in the lumen of the hollow fiber by movement of the syringe plunger controlled by programmable syringe pump. Following this microextraction, 2 μL of organic acceptor phase was injected into gas chromatography-flame ionization detector. This new technique provided up to 554-fold preconcentration of the analytes under the optimized conditions. Good repeatabilities (with RSDs ≤8.4%) were obtained. Detection limits were in the range of 0.2-0.5 μg/L. The utilization of the proposed method for extraction of the polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons from different real samples (such as water and soil samples) also gave good precision and recovery.     

Three-phase system in solvent bar microextraction: An approach for the sample preparation of ionizable organic compounds prior to liquid chromatography

In this article, a simple new solvent microextraction technique is described for the extraction of ionizable organic compounds. This involves performing simultaneous forward- and back-extraction across an organic film immobilized in the pores of a porous polypropylene hollow fiber. Four chlorophenoxyacetic acid herbicides were chosen as model compounds. The target compounds are extracted from the stirred acidic aqueous sample (adjusted to 0.5 M HCl; donor phase) through a thin film of an organic solvent residing in the pores of a polypropylene hollow fiber; they are then finally extracted into another alkaline aqueous phase (1 M NaOH; acceptor phase). Both ends of the fiber are pressure-sealed. The acceptor phase was analyzed by liquid chromatography (LC). This method gave good enrichment (by a factor of 438-553) of the analytes in 40 min extraction time with reasonably good reproducibility. The analytical potential of the method was demonstrated by applying the method to spiked river water sample.     

Extraction of hydroxyaromatic compounds in river water by liquid-liquid-liquid microextraction with automated movement of the acceptor and the donor phase

Liquid-liquid-liquid microextraction with automated movement of the acceptor and the donor phase technique is described for the extraction of six hydroxyaromatic compounds in river water using a disposable and ready to use hollow fiber. Separation and quantitative analyses were performed using LC with UV detection at 254 nm. Analytes were extracted from the acidified sample solution (donor phase) into the organic solvent impregnated in the pores of the hollow fiber and then back extracted into the alkaline solution (acceptor phase) inside the lumen of the hollow fiber. The fiber was held by a conventional 10 microL LC syringe. The acceptor phase was sandwitched between the plunger and a small volume of the organic solvent (microcap). The acceptor solution was repeatedly moved in and out of the hollow fiber using a syringe pump. This movement provides a fresh acceptor phase to come in contact with the organic phase and thus enhancing extraction kinetics thereby leading to the improvement in enrichment of the analytes. The microcap separates the acceptor phase and the donor phase in addition to being partially responsible for mass transfer of the analytes from the donor solution to the acceptor solution. Under stirring, a fresh donor phase will enter through the open end of the fiber that will also contribute to the mass transfer. Various parameters affecting the extraction efficiency viz type of organic solvent, extraction time, stirring speed, effect of sodium chloride, and concentration of donor and acceptor phases were studied. RSD (3.9-5.6%), correlation coefficient (0.995-0.997), detection limit (2.0-51.2 ng/mL), enrichment factor (339-630), relative recovery (93.2-97.9%), and absolute recovery (33.9-63.0%) have also been investigated. The developed method was applied for the analysis of river water.     

Liquid-liquid-liquid microextraction with automated movement of the acceptor and the donor phase for the extraction of phenoxyacetic acids prior to liquid chromatography detection

A simple liquid-liquid-liquid microextraction with automated movement of the acceptor and the donor phase (LLLME/AMADP) technique is described for the quantitative determination of five phenoxyacetic acids in water using a disposable and ready to use hollow fiber. The target compounds were extracted from the acidified sample solution (donor phase) into the organic solvent residing in the pores of the hollow fiber and then back extracted into the alkaline solution (acceptor phase) inside the lumen of the hollow fiber. The fiber was held by a conventional 10-microl syringe. The acceptor phase was sandwiched between the plunger and a small volume of the organic solvent (microcap). The acceptor solution was repeatedly moved in and out of the hollow fiber assisted by a programmable syringe pump. This repeated movement provides a fresh acceptor phase to come in-contact with the organic phase and thus enhancing extraction kinetics leading to high enrichment of the analytes. The microcap separates the aqueous acceptor phase and the donor phase in addition of being partially responsible for mass transfer of the analytes from donor solution (moving in and out of the hollow fiber from the open end of the fiber) to the acceptor solution. Separation and quantitative analyses were then performed using liquid chromatography (LC) with ultraviolet (UV) detection at 280 nm. Various parameters affecting the extraction efficiency viz. type of organic solvent used for immobilization in the pores of the hollow fiber, extraction time, stirring speed, effect of sodium chloride, and concentration of donor and acceptor phases were studied. Repeatability (RSD, 3.2-7.4%), correlation coefficient (0.996-0.999), detection limit (0.2-2.8 ng ml(-1)) and enrichment factors (129-240) were also investigated. Relative recovery (87-101%) and absolute recoveries (4.6-13%) have also been calculated. The developed method was applied for the analysis of river water.     

Hollow Fiber/Solvent Bar Microextraction Coupled with High Performance Liquid Chromatography for Preconcentration and Determination of Tanshinones and Salvianolic Acids in Radix Salvia miltiorrhiza

Hollow fiber solvent bar microextraction coupled with high-performance liquid chromatography was developed for the preconcentration and determination of active ingredients in Radix Salvia miltiorrhiza. These ingredients include dihydrotanshinone I, cryptotanshinone, tanshinone I, tanshinone IIA, salvianolic acid B, danshensu, and protocatechuic aldehyde. To evaluate the technique, seven compounds of varying polarity were used as model analytes, and a polyvinylidene fluoride hollow fiber (1.0 cm) with octanol (2 µL) was used as microextraction bar. The extraction conditions, including the identity of the hollow fiber, organic solvent, pH, salt addition, agitation speed, extraction time, and volume, were investigated and optimized. The extraction mechanism was analyzed and verified. The two main parameters, extraction recovery and enrichment factor, were obtained. Under the most favorable conditions, the enrichment factors of the analytes were 0.7–612, the limits of detection were below 1.11 ng mL^?1, and the recoveries were between 95.4% and 101.3%. Thus, hollow fiber solvent bar microextraction is simple, rapid, and practical with a wide range of potential applications.     

Liquid-liquid-liquid microextraction of nitrophenols with a hollow fiber membrane prior to capillary liquid chromatography

A simple liquid-liquid-liquid microextraction device utilizing a 2 cm x 0.6 mm I.D. hollow fiber membrane was used to preconcentrate nitrophenols from water sample prior to capillary liquid chromatography (cLC) analysis. The extraction procedure was induced by the pH difference inside and outside the hollow fiber. The donor phase outside the hollow fiber was adjusted to pH approximately 1 with HCl; the acceptor phase was NaOH solution used at various concentrations. Organic solvent was immobilized into the pores of the hollow fiber. With stirring, the neutral nitrophenols outside the fiber were extracted into the organic solvent, then back extracted into 2 microl of basic acceptor solution inside the fiber. The acceptor phase was then withdrawn into a microsyringe and injected into the cLC system directly. This technique used a low-cost disposable extraction "device" and is very convenient to operate. Up to 380-fold enrichment of analytes could be achieved. This procedure could also serve as a sample clean-up step because large molecules and basic compounds were not extracted into the acceptor phase. The RSD (n=6) was less than 6.2%, while the linear calibration range was from 1 to 200 microg/ml with r>0.998. The procedure was applied to the analysis of seawater.     

Determination of estrogens in wastewater using three-phase hollow fiber-mediated liquid-phase microextraction followed by HPLC

Three-phase hollow fiber-mediated liquid-phase microextraction followed by HPLC was used for the determination of three synthetic estrogens, namely diethylstilbestrol, dienestrol, and hexestrol, in wastewater. Extraction conditions including organic solvent, volume ratio between donor solution and acceptor phase, extraction time, stirring rate, donor phase and acceptor phase were optimized. The target compounds were extracted from a 10 mL aqueous sample at pH 1.5 (donor solution) through a 45 mm in length hollow polypropylene fiber that was immersed in 1-octanol in advance, and then the hollow fiber was filled with 10 microL 0.5 mol/L sodium hydroxide solution (acceptor phase). After a 40 min extraction, the acceptor phase was directly injected into an HPLC system for detection. Under the optimized extraction conditions, a large enrichment factor (more than 300-fold) was achieved for the three estrogens. The determination limit at an S/N of 3 ranged from 0.25 to 0.5 microg/L for the estrogens. The recovery ratio was more than 86% in the determination of these estrogens in wastewater.     

Environmental and bioanalytical applications of hollow fiber membrane liquid-phase microextraction: a review

In hollow fiber membrane liquid-phase microextraction (LPME), target analytes are extracted from aqueous samples and into a supported liquid membrane (SLM) sustained in the pores in the wall of a small porous hollow fiber, and further into an acceptor phase present inside the lumen of the hollow fiber. The acceptor phase can be organic, providing a two-phase extraction system compatible with capillary gas chromatography, or the acceptor phase can be aqueous resulting in a three-phase system compatible with high-performance liquid chromatography or capillary electrophoresis. Due to high enrichment, efficient sample clean-up, and the low consumption of organic solvent, substantial interest has been devoted to LPME in recent years. This paper reviews important applications of LPME with special focus on bioanalytical and environmental chemistry, and also covers a new possible direction for LPME namely electromembrane extraction, where analytes are extracted through the SLM and into the acceptor phase by the application of electrical potentials.     

Application of continual injection liquid‐phase microextraction method coupled with liquid chromatography to the analysis of organophosphorus pesticides

A liquid‐phase microextraction coupled with LC method has been developed for the determination of organophosphorus pesticides (methidation, quinalphos and profenofos) in drinking water samples. In this method, a small amount (3 μL) of isooctane as the acceptor phase was introduced continually to fill‐up the channel of a 1.5 cm polypropylene hollow fiber using a microsyringe while the hollow fiber was immersed in an aqueous donor solution. A portion of the acceptor phase (ca. 0.4 μL) was first introduced into the hollow fiber and additional amounts (ca. 0.2 μL) of the acceptor phase were introduced to replenish at intervals of 3 min until set end of extraction (40 min). After extraction, the acceptor phase was withdrawn and transferred into a 2 mL vial for a drying step prior to injection into a LC system. Parameters that affect the extraction efficiency were studied including the organic solvent, length of fiber, volume of acceptor and donor phase, stirring rate, extraction time, and effect of salting out. The proposed method provided good enrichment factors of up to 189.50, with RSD ranging from 0.10 to 0.29%, analyte recoveries of over 79.80% and good linearity ranging from 10.0 to 1.25 mg/L. The LOD ranged from 2.86 to 82.66 μg/L. This method was applied successfully to the determination of organophosphorus pesticides in selected drinking water samples.     

Hydrodistillation-headspace solvent microextraction, a new method for analysis of the essential oil components of Lavandula angustifolia Mill

A new method involving concurrent headspace solvent microextraction combined with continuous hydrodistillation (HD-HSME) for the extraction and pre-concentration of the essential oil of Lavandula angustifolia Mill. into a microdrop is developed. A microdrop of n-hexadecane containing n-heptadecane (as internal standard) extruded from the needle tip of a gas chromatographic syringe was inserted into the headspace above the plant sample. After extraction for an optimized time, the microdrop was retracted into the syringe and injected directly into a GC injection port. The effects of the type of extracting solvent, sample mass, microdrop volume and extraction time on HD-HSME efficiency were investigated and optimized. Using this method, thirty-six compounds were extracted and identified. Linalool (32.8%), linalyl acetate (17.6%), lavandulyl acetate (15.9%), alpha-terpineol (6.7%) and geranyl acetate (5.0%) were found to be the major constituents. To the best of our knowledge this is the first report on the use of continuous headspace solvent microextraction coupled with hydrodistillation for investigation of essential oil components.     

Three‐phase hollow‐fiber liquid‐phase microextraction based on deep eutectic solvent as acceptor phase for extraction and preconcentration of main active compounds in a traditional Chinese medicinal formula

A three‐phase hollow‐fiber liquid‐phase microextraction based on deep eutectic solvent as acceptor phase was developed and coupled with high‐performance capillary electrophoresis for the simultaneous extraction, enrichment, and determination of main active compounds (hesperidin, honokiol, shikonin, magnolol, emodin, and β,β′‐dimethylacrylshikonin) in a traditional Chinese medicinal formula. In this procedure, two hollow fibers, impregnated with n‐heptanol/n‐nonanol (7:3, v/v) mixture in wall pores as the extraction phase and a combination (9:1, v/v) of methyltrioctylammonium chloride/glycerol (1:3, n/n) and methanol in lumen as the acceptor phase, were immersed in the aqueous sample phase. The target analytes in the sample solution were first extracted through the organic phase, and further back‐extracted to the acceptor phase during the stirring process. Important extraction parameters such as types and composition of extraction solvent and deep eutectic solvent, sample phase pH, stirring rate, and extraction time were investigated and optimized. Under the optimal conditions, detection limits were 0.3–0.8 ng/mL with enrichment factors of 6–114 for the analytes and linearities of 0.001–13 μg/mL (r² ≥ 0.9901). The developed method was successfully applied to the simultaneous extraction and concentration of the main active compounds in a formula of Zi‐Cao‐Cheng‐Qi decoction with the major advantages of convenience, effectiveness, and environmentally friendliness.     

三相中空纤维式液相微萃取用于快速富集血浆中的尼古丁

建立了一种以三相中空纤维式液相微萃取(TP-HF-LPME)进行样品前处理,采用高效液相色谱快速、准确测定血浆中尼古丁含量的方法。研究表明该方法集萃取、富集、净化为一步,极大地简化了传统血浆成分测定的前处理过程,是一种快速、有效、绿色的前处理方法。方法的线性范围为0.1～50 mg/L,相关系数(r2)为0.9996,检测限为0.05 mg/L (信噪比为3),相对标准偏差小于5%。     

Ultrasound-Microwave Hybrid-Assisted Extraction Coupled to Headspace Solid-Phase Microextraction for Fast Analysis of Essential Oil in Dry Traditional Chinese Medicine by GC–MS

A novel one-step sample preparation technique termed ultrasound-microwave hybrid-assisted extraction coupled to headspace solid-phase microextraction (UMHE-HS-SPME) was developed in this study, which was used for the determination of essential oils in dry traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) based on gas chromatography–mass spectrometry. The dry roots of Angelica dahurica were used as the model TCM. In this work, ultrasound-assisted extraction was first combined with microwave-assisted extraction coupled to headspace solid-phase microextraction and applied to the rapid determination of A. dahurica. Sample preparations including isolation, extraction, and concentration of essential oils were performed in a single step. The effects of various parameters including fiber coating, ultrasound power, and irradiation time were investigated thoroughly and optimized. To further demonstrate the method’s feasibility, the conventional steam distillation (SD) method was used for the analysis of essential oils in the TCM to compare with the proposed method. The results show that more essential oil compounds were isolated and identified by UMHE-HS-SPME than by SD. Moreover, compounds with higher boiling point and many more oxygenated compounds were extracted from A. dahurica by the proposed method. In addition, the SD method required a long time (6 h) to isolate the essential oils, and large amounts of organic solvent for further extraction, while UMHE-HS-SPME needed only 10 min to prepare the samples, and no organic solvent. Relative standard deviation values less than 10 % show that the present method has good precision. According to the experimental results, the advantages of the proposed method are: short extraction time, high extraction efficiency, and solvent-free extraction. Thus, UMHE-HS-SPME is an alternative tool for fast analysis of essential oils in dry TCMs and can be potentially extended to other target analytes in dry matrix.     

Hollow‐fiber double‐solvent synergistic microextraction with high‐performance liquid chromatography for the determination of antitumor alkaloids in Coptis chinensis

A new hollow‐fiber double‐solvent synergistic microextraction method was proposed for the extraction and concentration of trace active compounds in traditional Chinese medicine. The main variables affecting the method were investigated and optimized. Under the optimized conditions, linearities were 0.01–10 μg/mL, detection limits were lower than 0.8 ng/mL, and interday, and intraday relative standard deviations were <9.20%. Furthermore, average recoveries ranged from 102.8 to 104.1%, and enrichment factors were 6–70 for the four alkaloids tested. The antitumor alkaloid group in Coptis chinensis was screened and identified by hollow‐fiber cell fishing with high‐performance liquid chromatography. The four alkaloids were then enriched and quantified by hollow‐fiber double‐solvent synergistic microextraction with high‐performance liquid chromatography. The mechanism of the proposed microextraction method was described, and results demonstrated that the approach was a simple and reliable sample‐preparation procedure. This method, as well as hollow‐fiber cell fishing combined with high‐performance liquid chromatography can be adopted to study the different characteristic effects of the multiple components and multiple targets of traditional Chinese medicine. The approach can also be used to conduct tailored quality control of the active compounds associated with therapeutic efficacy.     

Comparison of Liquid–Liquid Extraction,Simultaneous Distillation Extraction,Ultrasound-Assisted Solvent Extraction,and Headspace Solid-Phase Microextraction for the Determination of Volatile Compounds in Jujube Extract by Gas Chromatography/Mass Spectrometry

Jujube extract has a unique flavor that has been used as a common fragrance due to the volatile compounds. In this study, the volatiles of jujube extract were isolated by liquid–liquid extraction, simultaneous distillation extraction, ultrasound-assisted solvent extraction, and headspace solid-phase microextraction, and analyzed by gas chromatography–mass spectrometry. Altogether 92 compounds were identified by the four methods, of which 53 components were identified for the first time; however, only 21 compounds were identified by all these methods. The performance characteristics of the four pretreatment techniques were compared by principal component analysis which showed that the volatile compounds obtained by liquid–liquid extraction and ultrasound-assisted solvent extraction were similar both in categories and in content; whereas, the volatiles extracted by simultaneous distillation extraction, ultrasound-assisted solvent extraction, and headspace solid-phase microextraction greatly varied. The results indicated that a multi-pretreatment technique should be adopted in order to obtain the most complete information about the volatile compounds in jujube extract. The ultrasound-assisted solvent extraction method exhibited excellent repeatability and recoveries, and was very suitable for quantitative analysis. Although the recoveries and reproducibility of headspace solid-phase microextraction were inferior to the other methods, it was more sensitive than other methods.     

On‐line extraction and determination of two herbicides: Comparison between two modes of three‐phase hollow fiber microextraction

Two different modes of three‐phase hollow fiber liquid‐phase microextraction were studied for the extraction of two herbicides, bensulfuron‐methyl and linuron. In these two modes, the acceptor phases in the lumen of the hollow fiber were aqueous and organic solvents. The extraction and determination were performed using an automated hollow fiber microextraction instrument followed by high‐performance liquid chromatography. For both three‐phase hollow fiber liquid‐phase microextraction modes, the effect of the main parameters on the extraction efficiency were investigated and optimized by central composite design. Under optimal conditions, both modes showed good linearity and repeatability, but the three‐phase hollow fiber liquid‐phase microextraction based on two immiscible organic solvents has a better extraction efficiency and figures of merit. The calibration curves for three‐phase hollow fiber liquid‐phase microextraction with an organic acceptor phase were linear in the range of 0.3–200 and 0.1–150 μg/L and the limits of detection were 0.1 and 0.06 μg/L for bensulfuron‐methyl and linuron, respectively. For the conventional three‐phase hollow fiber liquid‐phase microextraction, the calibration curves were linear in the range of 3.0–250 and 15–400 μg/L and LODs were 1.0 and 5.0 μg/L for bensulfuron‐methyl and linuron, respectively. The real sample analysis was carried out by three‐phase hollow fiber liquid phase microextraction based on two immiscible organic solvents because of its more favorable characteristics.     

Three-phase solvent bar microextraction and determination of trace amounts of clenbuterol in human urine by liquid chromatography and electrospray tandem mass spectrometry

Three-phase solvent bar microextraction (TPSBME) technique is described for the quantitative determination of trace amounts of clenbuterol (CB) in urine samples using liquid chromatography (LC) and electrospray tandem mass spectrometry (ES-TMS). CB was extracted from a basified urine sample (donor phase) into the organic solvent residing in the pores of a freely moving hollow fiber and then back extracted into an acidic solution (acceptor phase) inside the lumen of the hollow fiber. The ends of the fiber were pressure-sealed. Here, forward and back extraction took place spontaneously. We studied various parameters affecting the extraction efficiency viz. type of organic solvent (octanol, nonanol and dihexyl ether) used for immobilization in the pores of the hollow fiber, i.e. extraction time (10-40 min), stirring speed (0-1000 rpm), effect of sodium chloride (0-25%, w/v) and concentration of the donor (0.25-3 M NaOH) and the acceptor (0.5-5 M formic acid) phases. After extraction, CB was analyzed by injecting the analyte enriched acceptor phase into LC combined with ES-TMS. Enrichment factor (79), repeatability (R.S.D. = 5.1%), correlation coefficient (0.9972, for the range of 0.1-4 ng mL⁻¹), detection limit (7 pg mL⁻¹) were also investigated. The present technique is compared with the reported solid phase microextraction techniques in terms of selectivity, analysis time per extraction, cost of analysis per extraction, and precision. Among all microextraction techniques reported, this technique is the most economical sample preparation/preconcentration technique to our knowledge. The method was applied for the analysis of CB in human urine.