Novel adsorptive materials by adenosine 5ʹ‐triphosphate imprinted‐polymer over the surface of polystyrene nanospheres for selective separation of adenosine 5ʹ‐triphosphate biomarker from urine

In this study, we have developed a method to assess adenosine 5?‐triphosphate by adsorptive extraction using surface adenosine 5′‐triphosphate‐imprinted polymer over polystyrene nanoparticles (412 ± 16 nm) for selective recognition/separation from urine. Molecularly imprinted polymer was synthesized by emulsion copolymerization reaction using adenosine 5′‐triphosphate as a template, functional monomers (methacrylic acid, N‐isopropyl acrylamide, and dimethylamino ethylmethacrylate) and a crosslinker, methylenebisacrylamide. The binding capacities of imprinted and non‐imprinted polymers were measured using high‐performance liquid chromatography with UV detection with a detection limit of 1.6 ± 0.02 µM of adenosine 5′‐triphosphate in the urine. High binding affinity (Q_MIP, 42.65 µmol/g), and high selectivity and specificity to adenosine 5′‐triphosphate compared to other competitive nucleotides including adenosine 5?‐diphosphate, adenosine 5?‐monophosphate, and analogs such as adenosine, adenine, uridine, uric acid, and creatinine were observed. The imprinting efficiency of imprinted polymer is 2.11 for urine (Q_MIP, 100.3 µmol/g) and 2.51 for synthetic urine (Q_MIP, 48.5 µmol/g). The extraction protocol was successfully applied to the direct extraction of adenosine 5′‐triphosphate from spiked human urine indicating that this synthesized molecularly imprinted polymer allowed adenosine 5′‐triphosphate to be preconcentrated while simultaneously interfering compounds were removed from the matrix. These submicron imprinted polymers over nano polystyrene spheres have a potential in the pharmaceutical industries and clinical analysis applications.     

Highly selective separation and detection of cyromazine from seawater using graphene oxide based molecularly imprinted solid‐phase extraction

A novel molecularly imprinted polymer based on graphene oxide was prepared as a solid‐phase extraction adsorbent for the selective adsorption and extraction of cyromazine from seawater samples. The obtained graphene oxide molecularly imprinted polymer and non‐imprinted polymer were nanoparticles and characterized by scanning electron microscopy. The imprinted polymer showed higher adsorption capacity and better selectivity than non‐imprinted polymer, and the maximum adsorption capacity was 14.5 mg/g. The optimal washing and elution solvents for molecularly imprinted solid phase extraction procedure were 2 mL of acetonitrile/water (80:20, v/v) and methanol/acetic acid (70:30, v/v), respectively. The recoveries of cyromazine in the spiked seawater samples were in the range of 90.3–104.1%, and the relative standard deviation was <5% (n = 3) under the optimal procedure and detection conditions. The limit of detection of the proposed method was 0.7 μg/L, and the limit of quantitation was 2.3 μg/L. Moreover, the imprinted polymer could keep high adsorption capacity for cyromazine after being reused six times at least. Finally, the synthesized graphene oxide molecularly imprinted polymer was successfully used as a satisfied sorbent for high selectivity separation and detection of cyromazine from seawater coupled with high‐performance liquid chromatography.     

Magnetic molecularly imprinted polymer for the efficient and selective preconcentration of diazinon before its determination by high‐performance liquid chromatography

A molecularly imprinted polymer was selectively applied for solid‐phase extraction and diazinon residues enrichment before high‐performance liquid chromatography. Diazinon was thermally copolymerized with Fe₃O₄@polyethyleneglycol nanoparticles, methacrylic acid (functional monomer), 2‐hydroxyethyl methacrylate (co‐monomer), and ethylene glycol dimethacrylate (cross‐linking monomer) in the presence of acetonitrile (porogen) and 2,2‐azobisisobutyronitrile (initiator). Then, the imprinted diazinon was reproducibly eluted with methanol/acetic acid (9:1, v/v). The sorbent particles were characterized by X‐ray diffraction, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, and scanning electron microscopy. The comprehensive study of variables through experimental design showed that the maximum performance was achieved under these conditions: pH 7, 10 mL sample volume, 15 mg sorbent, 10 min vortex time, 5 min ultrasonic time, 200 μL methanol/acetic acid (9:1, v/v) as eluent, and 5 min desorption time. Under optimized conditions, the molecularly imprinted polymer solid‐phase extraction method demonstrated a linear range (0.02–5 g/mL), a correlation coefficient of 0.997, and 0.005 g/mL detection limit.     

Magnetic molecularly imprinted composite for the selective solid‐phase extraction of p‐aminosalicylic acid followed by high‐performance liquid chromatography with ultraviolet detection

A new method for the selective extraction of p‐aminosalicylic acid from aqueous and urine samples has been developed using magnetic molecularly imprinted polymer nanoparticles before determination by high‐performance liquid chromatography. The Fe₃O₄ nanoparticles were first prepared through the chemical coprecipitation of Fe²⁺ and Fe³⁺ and then coated with a vinyl shell. Subsequently, a layer of molecularly imprinted polymers was grafted onto the vinyl‐modified magnetic nanoparticles by precipitation polymerization. FTIR spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, vibrating sample magnetometry, and thermogravimetric analysis were applied to characterize the sorbent properties. Moreover, the predominant parameters affecting the magnetic solid phase extraction such as sample pH, sorption and elution times, the amount of sorbent, and composition and volume of eluent were investigated thoroughly. The maximum sorption capacity of the imprinted polymer toward p‐aminosalicylic acid was 70.9 mg/g, which is 4.5 times higher than that of the magnetic nonimprinted polymer. The magnetic molecularly imprinted polymer nanoparticles were applied for the selective extraction of p‐aminosalicylic acid from aqueous and urine samples and satisfactory results were achieved. The results illustrate that magnetic molecularly imprinted polymer nanoparticles have a great potential in the extraction of p‐aminosalicylic acid from environmental and biological matrices.     

Preparation of bio‐based keratin‐derived magnetic molecularly imprinted polymer nanoparticles for the facile and selective separation of bisphenol A from water

In this study, new bio‐based magnetic molecularly imprinted polymer nanoparticles (∼23 nm) were synthesized from keratin extracted from chicken feathers and methacrylate‐functionalized Fe₃O₄ nanoparticles for its potential application in separation and removal of bisphenol A from water. The prepared magnetic molecularly imprinted polymer was characterized by Fourier‐transform infrared spectroscopy, field‐emission scanning electron microscopy, thermogravimetric analysis, alternative gradient field magnetometry, and energy‐dispersive X‐ray spectroscopy. The sorption of bisphenol A was investigated by changing the influencing factors such as pH, immersion time, Fe₃O₄ nanoparticles dosage, and the initial concentration of bisphenol A. Results illustrated that sorption was very fast and efficient (Q_m = 600 mg/g) having a removal efficiency of ∼98% in 40 min of immersion. The adsorption process showed better conformity with the Weber−Morris kinetics and the Freundlich isotherm model. The selectivity of bisphenol A by adsorbent was checked in the presence of hydroquinone, phenol, tetrabromobisphenol, and 4,4′‐biphenol as interferences.     

Nanogram/mL detection of nortriptyline: Preparation of a molecularly imprinted polymer for spectrophotometric determination of nortriptyline based on multivariate optimization methods

In this work, the molecularly imprinted polymer was used as a selective sorbent in solid‐phase extraction method for the spectrophotometric determination of nortriptyline at 239 nm. Molecularly imprinted polymer was synthesized by pyrrole as a functional monomer in the presence of nortriptyline as a template. Several factors, consist of the concentration of the monomer to template ratio, amount of initiator, stirring rate, reaction time, the pH of the buffer solution, amount of sorbent, loading time, shaking rate of loading, extraction time, and shaking rate of extraction were evaluated due to their effectiveness in the preparation and extraction capability of molecularly imprinted polymer. Multivariate optimization methods, such as Plackett‐Burman and central composite designs, were employed to find and optimize the significant factors. Under the selected optimal conditions, molecularly imprinted polymer showed a linear range from 0.1 to 100 µmol/L (0.026 to 26 µg/mL) nortriptyline, a detection limit of 10.3 nmol/L (2.7 ng/mL), a highly repeatable (relative standard deviation of 3.7%) and reproducible response (relative standard deviation of 4.6%), and a good selectivity in the presence of structurally related molecules. Furthermore, molecularly imprinted polymer showed high extraction efficiency and was successfully used for the determination of nortriptyline in real samples.     

Preparation and application of molecularly imprinted polymer solid‐phase microextraction fiber for the selective analysis of auxins in tobacco

As signal molecules, auxins play an important role in mediating plant growth. Due to serious interfering substances in plants, it is difficult to accurately detect auxins with traditional solid‐phase extraction methods. To improve the selectivity of sample pretreatment, a novel molecularly imprinted polymer ‐coated solid‐phase microextraction fiber, which could be coupled directly to high‐performance liquid chromatography, was prepared with indole acetic acid as template molecule for the selective extraction of auxins. The factors influencing the polymer formation, such as polymerization solvent, cross‐linker, and polymerization time, were investigated in detail to enhance the performance of indole acetic acid‐molecularly imprinted polymer coating. The morphological and chemical stability of this molecularly imprinted polymer‐coated fiber was characterized by scanning electron microscopy, infrared spectrometry, and thermal analysis. The extraction capacity of the molecularly imprinted polymer‐coated solid‐phase microextraction fiber was evaluated for the selective extraction of indole acetic acid and indole‐3‐pyruvic acid followed by high‐performance liquid chromatography analysis. The linear range for indole acetic acid and indole‐3‐pyruvic acid was 1–100 µg/L and their detection limit was 0.5 µg/L. The method was applied to the simultaneous determination of two auxins in two kinds of tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum L and Nicotiana rustica L) samples, with recoveries range from 82.1 to 120.6%.     

Preparation of magnetic molecularly imprinted polymer nanoparticles by surface imprinting by a sol–gel process for the selective and rapid removal of di‐(2‐ethylhexyl) phthalate from aqueous solution

Magnetic molecularly imprinted polymer nanoparticles for di‐(2‐ethylhexyl) phthalate were synthesized by surface imprinting technology with a sol–gel process and used for the selective and rapid adsorption and removal of di‐(2‐ethylhexyl) phthalate from aqueous solution. The prepared magnetic molecularly imprinted polymer nanoparticles were characterized using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, thermogravimetric analysis, and vibrating sample magnetometry. The adsorption of di‐(2‐ethylhexyl) phthalate onto the magnetic molecularly imprinted polymer was spontaneous and endothermic. The adsorption equilibrium was achieved within 1 h, the maximum adsorption capacity was 30.7 mg/g, and the adsorption process could be well described by Langmuir isotherm model and pseudo‐second‐order kinetic model. The magnetic molecularly imprinted polymer displayed a good adsorption selectivity for di‐(2‐ethylhexyl) phthalate with respect to dibutyl phthalate and di‐n‐octyl phthalate. The reusability of magnetic molecularly imprinted polymer was demonstrated for at least eight repeated cycles without significant loss in adsorption capacity. The adsorption efficiencies of the magnetic molecularly imprinted polymer toward di‐(2‐ethylhexyl) phthalate in real water samples were in the range of 98–100%. These results indicated that the prepared adsorbent could be used as an efficient and cost‐effective material for the removal of di‐(2‐ethylhexyl) phthalate from environmental water samples.     

Selective and sensitive determination of silver ions at trace levels based on ultrasonic‐assisted dispersive solid‐phase extraction using ion‐imprinted polymer nanoparticles

We describe ultrasonic‐assisted dispersive solid‐phase extraction based on ion‐imprinted polymer (UA‐DSPE‐IIP) nanoparticles for the selective extraction of silver ions. Ultrasound is a good and robust method to facilitate the extraction of target ions in the sorption step and elution of the target ions in the desorption step. The IIP nanoparticles used in the UA‐DSPE‐IIP were prepared by precipitation polymerization. To prepare the IIP nanoparticles, 2‐vinylpyridine, ethylene glycol dimethacrylate, 2,2′‐azobisisobutyronitrile, 2‐picolinic acid, silver and chloroform–methanol (50:50) solution were used as functional monomer, cross‐linker, initiator, silver‐binding ligand, template ion and porogen, respectively. The IIP nanoparticles were characterized using Fourier transformed infrared spectroscopy, thermogravimetric and differential thermal analysis, X‐ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopy. A Box–Behnken design was used for optimization of sorption and desorption steps in UA‐DSPE‐IIP. In the sorption step: pH of solution, IIP amount (mg), sonication time for sorption (min); in the desorption step: concentration of eluent (mol l⁻¹), volume of eluent (ml), sonication time (min) for desorption were investigated and optimized by Box–Behnken design. The optimum conditions for the method were: pH of solution, 7; sonication time for sorption, 7 min; IIP amount, 17 mg; type and concentration of eluent, HCl 1.5 mol l⁻¹; volume of eluent, 2 ml; sonication time for desorption, 140 s. Under the optimized conditions the limit of detection and relative standard deviation for the detection of silver ions using UA‐DSPE‐IIP were found to be 0.09 μg l⁻¹ and <3%, respectively.     

A new ionic liquid surface‐imprinted polymer for selective solid‐phase‐extraction and determination of sulfonamides in environmental samples

Toward improving the selective adsorption performance of molecularly imprinted polymers in strong polar solvents, in this work, a new ionic liquid functional monomer, 1‐butyl‐3‐vinylimidazolium bromide, was used to synthesize sulfamethoxazole imprinted polymer in methanol. The resulting molecularly imprinted polymer was characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectra and scanning electron microscopy, and the rebinding mechanism of the molecularly imprinted polymer for sulfonamides was studied. A static equilibrium experiment revealed that the as‐obtained molecularly imprinted polymer had higher molecular recognition for sulfonamides (e.g., sulfamethoxazole, sulfamonomethoxine, and sulfadiazine) in methanol; however, its adsorption of interferent (e.g., diphenylamine, metronidazole, 2,4‐dichlorophenol, and m‐dihydroxybenzene) was quite low. ¹H NMR spectroscopy indicated that the excellent recognition performance of the imprinted polymer was based primarily on hydrogen bond, electrostatic and π‐π interactions. Furthermore, the molecularly imprinted polymer can be employed as a solid phase extraction sorbent to effectively extract sulfamethoxazole from a mixed solution. Combined with high‐performance liquid chromatography analysis, a valid molecularly imprinted polymer‐solid phase extraction protocol was established for extraction and detection of trace sulfamethoxazole in spiked soil and sediment samples, and with a recovery that ranged from 93–107%, and a relative standard deviation of lower than 9.7%.     

Surface‐imprinted magnetic nanoparticles for the selective enrichment and fast separation of fluoroquinolones in human serum

Surface enrofloxacin‐imprinted magnetic nanoparticles were prepared for the selective recognition and fast separation of fluoroquinolones in human serum by surface‐initiated reversible addition fragmentation chain transfer polymerization. The surface morphology and imprinted behavior were investigated and optimized. The living/controlled nature of reversible addition‐fragmentation chain transfer polymerization reaction allowed the successful construction of well‐defined imprinted polymer layer outside the Fe₃O₄ core. Such molecularly imprinted polymers exhibited superparamagnetic properties and specific recognition toward fluoroquinolones. Combined with reversed‐phase high‐performance liquid chromatography, the prepared molecularly imprinted polymers were used for the selective enrichment and analysis of fluoroquinolones in human serum samples. The recoveries of four fluoroquinolones were 86.8–95.3% with relative standard deviations of 2.0–6.8% (n  = 3). Such magnetic molecularly imprinted polymers have great prospects in the separation and enrichment of trace analysts in complex biological samples.     

Synthesis of molecularly imprinted dye‐silica nanocomposites with high selectivity and sensitivity: Fluorescent imprinted sensor for rapid and efficient detection of τ‐fluvalinate in vodka

An imprinted fluorescent sensor was fabricated based on SiO₂ nanoparticles encapsulated with a molecularly imprinted polymer containing allyl fluorescein. High fluorine cypermethirin as template molecules, methyl methacrylate as functional monomer, and allyl fluorescein as optical materials synthesized a core‐shell fluorescent molecular imprinted sensor, which showed a high and rapid sensitivity and selectivity for the detection of τ‐fluvalinate. The sensor presented appreciable sensitivity with a limit of 13.251 nM, rapid detection that reached to equilibrium within 3 min, great linear relationship in the relevant concentration range from 0 to 150 nM, and excellent selectivity over structural analogues. In addition, the fluorescent sensor demonstrated desirable regeneration ability (eight cycling operations). The molecularly imprinted polymers ensured specificity, while the fluorescent dyes provided the stabile sensitivity. Finally, an effective application of the sensor was implemented by the detection of τ‐fluvalinate in real samples from vodka. The molecularly imprinted fluorescent sensor showed a promising potential in environmental monitoring and food safety.     

Rapid determination of antiviral medication ribavirin in different feedstuffs using a novel magnetic molecularly imprinted polymer coupled with high‐performance liquid chromatography

A novel magnetic molecularly imprinted polymer adsorbing material was successfully synthesized to detect ribavirin in animal feedstuff. Molecularly imprinted polymer was prepared through surface polymerization by using ribavirin as template molecule, methyl methacrylate, and γ‐methacryloxypropyl trimethoxy silane functionalized magnetic mesoporous silica as bifunctional monomers, and ethylene diglycidyl ether as crosslinking agent. The prepared magnetic molecularly imprinted polymer was characterized by scanning electron microscopy and infrared spectroscopy. Static and dynamic adsorption experiments and selective adsorption analysis were performed to evaluate the adsorption and selectivity of magnetic molecularly imprinted polymer. Different experiments were conducted to optimize the magnetic solid‐phase extraction conditions. Under optimal experimental conditions, a magnetic molecularly imprinted solid‐phase extraction coupled with high‐performance liquid chromatography method was successfully developed for ribavirin detection. The established method achieved a satisfactory linear range of 0.20–50 mg/L (R² > 0.99) and a low detection limit (0.081 mg/kg). An average recovery of 92–105% with relative standard deviation of <6.5% was obtained upon the application of the developed method to detect ribavirin in real feedstuff samples. Thus, established method can be used for the rapid and simple separation and detection of added ribavirin in feedstuff.     

Computer‐assisted design and synthesis of molecularly imprinted polymers for the simultaneous determination of six carbamate pesticides from environmental water

The computer‐assisted design and synthesis of molecularly imprinted polymers for the simultaneous capture of six carbamate pesticides from environmental water are reported in this work. The quantum mechanical computational approach was employed to design the molecularly imprinted polymers with carbofuran as template. The interaction energies between the template molecule and different functional monomers in various solvents were calculated to assist in the selection of the functional monomer and porogen. The optimised molecularly imprinted polymer was subsequently used as a class‐selective sorbent in solid‐phase extraction for pre‐concentration and determination of carbamates from environmental water. The parameters influencing the extraction efficiency of the molecularly imprinted solid‐phase extraction procedure were systematically investigated to facilitate the class‐selective extraction. For the proposed method, linearity was observed over the range of 2–500 ng/mL with the correlation coefficient ranging from 0.9760 to 1.000. The limits of detection ranged from 0.2 to 1.2 ng/mL, and the limit of quantification was 4 ng/mL. These results confirm that computer‐assisted design is an effective evaluation tool for molecularly imprinted polymers synthesis, and that molecularly imprinted solid‐phase extraction can be applied to the simultaneous analysis of carbamates in environmental water.     

Facile and versatile strategy to prepare magnetic molecularly imprinted particles based on the coassembly of magnetic nanoparticles and amphiphilic random copolymers

Magnetic molecularly imprinted polymer nanoparticles for bisphenol A were prepared by coassembling magnetic nanoparticles and amphiphilic random copolymers. Under optimized conditions, bisphenol A as template molecules, magnetic molecularly imprinted polymer particles with regular morphology, small size, good monodispersity, and high content of OA‐Fe₃O₄ were prepared by the coassembly method using P(MMA‐co‐MAA) with monomer ratio of 9:1. These magnetic molecularly imprinted polymer particles could be rapidly collected by an external magnet within 1 min. The saturated adsorption capacity of the magnetic molecularly imprinted polymer for bisphenol A was 201.5 mg/g, and the imprinting factor was 2.5. The separation factors for bisphenol A to β‐estradiol, estriol, and diethylstilbestrol was 3.1, 2.9, and 3.7, respectively. Unlike assembling amphiphilic copolymer in the selective solvent, the coassembly process was simple and rapid. Therefore, the present work provided a facile and versatile approach to construct magnetic molecularly imprinted polymer nanoparticles under mild conditions.     

Analysis of tetracyclines from milk powder by molecularly imprinted solid‐phase dispersion based on a metal–organic framework followed by ultra high performance liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry

A novel molecularly imprinted polymer that could selectively recognize tetracyclines in milk powder was synthesized using a metal–organic framework as a support material, tetracycline as template molecule, and 3‐aminophenylboronic acid as a functional monomer and a cross‐linking agent. The novel molecularly imprinted polymer was characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectrometry, transmission electron microscopy, X‐ray diffractometry, thermogravimetric analysis, and N₂ adsorption/desorption measurements. The adsorption isotherms, adsorption kinetics, adsorption thermodynamics, and selective adsorption experiments of the novel molecularly imprinted polymer to tetracycline were also studied. The novel molecularly imprinted polymer was used as dispersant of matrix solid‐phase dispersion to extraction tetracyclines. After that, the tetracyclines extracted from milk powder were determined by ultra high performance liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry. Under the optimal conditions, the detection limits of tetracyclines were 0.217–0.318 ng/g. The relative standard deviations of intra‐ and interday precision ranged from 3.8 to 6.9% and from 2.8 to 7.4%, respectively. In all three concentration levels (1.0, 10, 50 ng/g), the recoveries of tetracyclines ranged from 84.7 to 93.9%. The method was successfully applied to the determination of tetracyclines in milk powder.     

Selective extraction of morphine from biological fluids by magnetic molecularly imprinted polymers and determination using UHPLC with diode array detection

The determination of morphine concentration in the blood and urine is necessary for patients and recruitment purposes. Herein, a magnetic molecularly imprinted polymer for selective and efficient extraction of morphine from biological samples was synthesized by using a core–shell method. Fe₃O₄ nanoparticles were coated with SiO₂‐NH₂. The molecularly imprinted polymer was coated on the Fe₃O₄/SiO₂‐NH₂ surface by the copolymerization of methacrylic acid and ethylene glycol dimethacrylate in the presence of morphine as the template molecule. The morphological and magnetic properties of the polymer were investigated. Field‐emission scanning electron microscopy indicated that the prepared magnetic polymer is almost uniform. The saturation magnetization values of Fe₃O₄ nanoparticles, Fe₃O₄/SiO₂‐NH₂, and the magnetic polymer were 48.41, 31.69, and 13.02 emu/g, respectively, indicating that all the particles are superparamagnetic. Kinetics of the adsorption of morphine on magnetic polymer were well described by second‐order kinetic and adsorption processes and well fitted by the Langmuir adsorption isotherm, in which the maximum adsorption capacity was calculated as 28.40 mg/g. The recoveries from plasma and urine samples were in the range of 84.9–105.5 and 94.9–102.8%, respectively. By using the magnetic molecularly imprinted polymer, morphine can selectively, reliably, and in low concentration be determined in biological samples with high‐performance liquid chromatography and UV detection.     

Novel molecularly imprinted magnetic nanoparticles for the selective extraction of protoberberine alkaloids in herbs and rat plasma

In this work, a novel magnetic nanomaterial functionalized with a molecularly imprinted polymer was prepared for the extraction of protoberberine alkaloids. Molecularly imprinted polymers were made on the surface of Fe₃O₄ nanoparticles by using berberine as template, acetonitrile/water as porogen, acrylamide as functional monomer and ethylene glycol dimethacrylate as cross‐linker. The optimized molar ratio of template/functional monomer was 1:7. The polymeric magnetic nanoparticles were characterized by transmission electron microscopy and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. The stability and adsorption capacity of the molecularly imprinted polymers were investigated. The molecularly imprinted polymers were used as a selective sorbent for the magnetic molecularly imprinted solid‐phase extraction and determination of jatrorrhizine, palmatine, and berberine. Extraction parameters were studied including loading pH, sample volume, stirring speed, and extraction time. Finally, a magnetic molecularly imprinted solid‐phase extraction coupled to high‐performance liquid chromatography method was developed. Under the optimized conditions, the method showed good linear range of 0.1–150 ng/mL for berberine and 0.1–100 ng/mL for jatrorrhizine and palmatine. The limit of detection was 0.01 ng/mL for berberine and 0.02 ng/mL for jatrorrhizine and palmatine. The proposed method has been applied to determine protoberberine alkaloids in Cortex phellodendri and rat plasma samples. The recoveries ranged from 87.33–102.43%, with relative standard deviation less than 4.54% in Cortex phellodendri and from 102.22–111.15% with relative standard deviation less than 4.59% in plasma.     

Novel method for the rapid and specific extraction of multiple β2‐agonist residues in food by tailor‐made Monolith‐MIPs extraction disks and detection by gas chromatography with mass spectrometry

A quick and specific pretreatment method based on a series of extraction clean‐up disks, consisting of molecularly imprinted polymer monoliths and C₁₈ adsorbent, was developed for the specific enrichment of salbutamol and clenbuterol residues in food. The molecularly imprinted monolithic polymer disk was synthesized using salbutamol as a template through a one‐step synthesis process. It can simultaneously and specifically recognize salbutamol and clenbuterol. The monolithic polymer disk and series of C₁₈ disks were assembled with a syringe to form a set of tailor‐made devices for the extraction of target molecules. In a single run, salbutamol and clenbuterol can be specifically extracted, cleaned, and eluted by methanol/acetic acid/H₂O. The target molecules, after a silylation derivatization reaction were detected by gas chromatography‐mass spectrometry. The parameters including solvent desorption, sample pH, and the cycles of reloading were investigated and discussed. Under the optimized extraction and clean‐up conditions, the limits of detection and quantitation were determined as 0.018–0.022 and 0.042–0.049 ng/g for salbutamol and clenbuterol, respectively. The assay described was convenient, rapid, and specific; thereby potentially efficient in the high‐throughput analysis of β₂‐agonists residues in real food samples.     

Response surface methodology approach for the preparation of a molecularly imprinted polymer for solid‐phase extraction of fenoxycarb pesticide in mussels

The aim of this work was to develop an efficient method for the selective extraction and analysis of fenoxycarb, a carbamate pesticide, in mussel samples using a molecularly imprinted solid‐phase extraction device. The optimization of molecularly imprinted polymer synthesis was performed using the experimental design under the response surface methodology approach. A fast rebinding study and Freundlich isotherm adsorption were carried out to calculate binding capacity B, site number n, and affinity constant K_f. The optimum molecularly imprinted polymer was successfully used as sorbent of a solid‐phase extraction cartridge for the determination of fenoxycarb in real mussel samples. The range of linearity was 0.3–30 mg/L with a correlation coefficient of 0.991. The limit of detection was 0.247 mg/kg. The recovery of fenoxycarb extracted from mussel samples of Mediterranean sea was 97% (n = 3) with relative standard deviation between 6 and 7% proving the reliability of the developed method.