Application of new approaches to liquid-phase microextraction for the determination of emerging pollutants

Liquid-liquid extraction (LLE) has been widely used as a pre-treatment technique for separation and preconcentration of organic analytes from aqueous samples. Nevertheless, this technique has several drawbacks, mainly in the use of large volumes of solvents, making LLE an expensive, environmentally-unfriendly technique.Miniaturized methodologies [e.g., liquid-phase microextraction (LPME)] have arisen in the search for alternatives to conventional LLE, using negligible volumes of extracting solvents and reducing the number of steps in the procedure. Developments have led to different approaches to LPME, namely single-drop microextraction (SDME), hollow-fiber LPME (HF-LPME), dispersive liquid-liquid microextraction (DLLME) and solidified floating organic drop microextraction (SFODME).This overview focuses on the application of these microextraction techniques to the analysis of emerging pollutants.     

Recent advances and trends in miniaturized sample preparation techniques

Advances in the area of sample preparation are significant and have been growing significantly in recent years. This initial step of the analysis is essential and must be carried out properly, consisting of a complicated procedure with multiple stages. Consequently, it corresponds to a potential source of errors and will determine, at the end of the process, either a satisfactory result or a fail. One of the advances in this field includes the miniaturization of extraction techniques based on the conventional sample preparation procedures such as liquid‐liquid extraction and solid‐phase extraction. These modern techniques have gained prominence in the face of traditional methods since they minimize the consumption of organic solvents and the sample volume. As another feature, it is possible to reuse the sorbents, and its coupling to chromatographic systems might be automated. The review will emphasize the main techniques based on liquid‐phase microextraction, as well as those based upon the use of sorbents. The first group includes currently popular techniques such as single drop microextraction, hollow fiber liquid‐phase microextraction, and dispersive liquid‐liquid microextraction. In the second group, solid‐phase microextraction techniques such as in‐tube solid‐phase microextraction, stir bar sorptive extraction, dispersive solid‐phase extraction, dispersive micro solid‐phase microextraction, and microextraction by packed sorbent are highlighted. These approaches, in common, aim the determination of analytes at low concentrations in complex matrices. This article describes some characteristics, recent advances, and trends on miniaturized sample preparation techniques, as well as their current applications in food, environmental, and bioanalysis fields.     

Capillary electrophoresis with laser-induced fluorescence detection of main polyamines and precursor amino acids in saliva

A hollow-fiber liquid-phase microextraction （HF-LPME） method has been developed for the purification and preconcentration of biogenic polyamines and their precursor amino acids in human saliva. Putrescine （Put）, cadaverine （Cad）, spermidine （Spe）, ornithine （Orn）, lysine （Lys）, and arginine （Arg） were determined by the CE-LIF detection after microextraction. Several factors that affect extraction efficiency, separation, and detection were investigated. Under the optimum conditions, six analytes could achieve baseline separation within 30 min, exhibiting a linear calibration at three orders of magnitude （r2 〉 0.998）; the obtained enrichment factors of HF-LPME were between 19 （for Orn） and 2] 8 （for Cad）, and the LODs were in the range of 0.0072-0.26 nmol/L. The proposed HF-LPME/CE-LIF method has been successfully applied for the sensitive analyses of the real-world saliva samples collected from healthy volunteers and different patients with oral diseases, providing a potential method for primary non-invasive diagnosis of some oral diseases.     

Advances in sample preparation using membrane-based liquid-phase microextraction techniques

The article highlights some of the most important developments in membrane-based liquid-phase microextraction techniques and applications. We discuss the evolution of different configurations from the flat type of module through the hollow-fiber module to the latest membrane combination with other sorbents and coating of the hollow fiber. We also discuss the basic principles and important parameters that control the extraction process in two-phase and three-phase systems. Finally, we highlight future trends in module configuration and applications.     

Determination of n-octanol–water partition coefficients by hollow-fiber membrane solvent microextraction coupled with HPLC

A novel direct method has been developed for determination of n-octanol–water partition coefficients by hollow-fiber membrane solvent microextraction (HFMSME) combined with high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). The compound of interest is dissolved in water with sonication and a hollow fiber containing octanol inside is placed in the sample solution to perform microextraction. After microextraction the concentrations in both the aqueous and n-octanol phases are analyzed by HPLC with UV detection. The method was evaluated with ten reference compounds and shown to be suitable for determination of the partition coefficients of organic compounds accurately, cheaply, simply, and quickly. Previously unknown n-octanol–water partition coefficients have been obtained for other compounds by use of the hollow-fiber membrane solvent-microextraction technique. Figure Schematic diagram of equipment used for hollow-fiber solvent microextraction. (1) hollow cone-shaped support; (2) aqueous sample; (3) porous hollow-fiber membrane tube (PHFMT); (4) n-octanol phase; (5) sealed end of PHFMT; (6) container (15 mL); (7) stir bar; (8) magnetic stirrer     

New developments in microextraction techniques in bioanalysis. A review

In recent years, the interest in new extraction methods with lower sample volume requirements, simpler equipment and handling, and lower reagent consumption, has led to the development of a series of microextraction methods based on extraction phases in the microliter order. Nowadays, many references can be found for several of these methods, which imply a wide range of applications referred to both the analyte and the sample nature. In this paper, recent developments in both well-established microextraction techniques (solid phase microextraction, hollow-fiber liquid phase microextraction, dispersive liquid–liquid microextraction, etc.) and recently appeared microextraction procedures (nanoextraction systems, microchip devices, etc.) for the clinical analysis of biological samples will be reviewed and discussed.     

Analytical methods for the assessment of endocrine disrupting chemical exposure during human fetal and lactation stages: A review

In the present work, a review of the analytical methods developed in the last 15 years for the determination of endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) in human samples related with children, including placenta, cord blood, amniotic fluid, maternal blood, maternal urine and breast milk, is proposed. Children are highly vulnerable to toxic chemicals in the environment. Among these environmental contaminants to which children are at risk of exposure are EDCs —substances able to alter the normal hormone function of wildlife and humans—. The work focuses mainly on sample preparation and instrumental techniques used for the detection and quantification of the analytes. The sample preparation techniques include, not only liquid–liquid extraction (LLE) and solid-phase extraction (SPE), but also modern microextraction techniques such as extraction with molecular imprinted polymers (MIPs), stir-bar sorptive extraction (SBSE), hollow-fiber liquid-phase microextraction (HF-LPME), dispersive liquid–liquid microextraction (DLLME), matrix solid phase dispersion (MSPD) or ultrasound-assisted extraction (UAE), which are becoming alternatives in the analysis of human samples. Most studies focus on minimizing the number of steps and using the lowest solvent amounts in the sample treatment. The usual instrumental techniques employed include liquid chromatography (LC), gas chromatography (GC) mainly coupled to tandem mass spectrometry. Multiresidue methods are being developed for the determination of several families of EDCs with one extraction step and limited sample preparation.     

Microextraction sample preparation techniques in forensic analytical toxicology

Sample preparation is a critical step in forensic analytical toxicology. Different extraction techniques are employed with the goals of removing interferences from the biological samples, such as blood, tissues and hair, reducing matrix effects and concentrating the target analytes, among others. With the objective of developing faster and more ecological procedures, microextraction techniques have been expanding their applications in the recent years. This article reviews various microextraction methods, which include solid‐based microextraction, such as solid‐phase microextraction, microextraction by packed sorbent and stir‐bar sorptive extraction, and liquid‐based microextraction, such as single drop/hollow fiber‐based liquid‐phase microextraction and dispersive liquid–liquid microextraction, as well as their applications to forensic toxicology analysis. The development trend in future microextraction sample preparation is discussed.     

Basic principles,recent trends and future directions of microextraction techniques for the analysis of aqueous environmental samples

Microextraction-based sample preparation techniques have exhibited remarkable importance in analytical chemistry since they were first developed in the 1980s. The application of these techniques involves efficient and, at the same time, environmentally-friendly analytical methodologies. They are also generally faster when compared with classical sample preparation techniques, requiring low solvent and sample volumes, and also allowing for automated or semi-automated procedures. This paper provides an overview of the basic principles of sample preparation techniques and the important applications and developments that have taken place in this area over the past five years. These procedures include solid-phase microextraction (SPME), stir bar sorptive extraction (SBSE), bar adsorptive microextraction (BAμE), rotating disk sorptive extraction (RDSE), micro solid-phase extraction (μ-SPE) and liquid-phase microextraction (LPME). The main variations are discussed with a focus on recent applications in the analysis of environmental water samples. Lastly, some of the trends and perspectives associated with these outstanding microextraction sample preparation approaches are highlighted.     

Recent advances in applications of single-drop microextraction: a review

During the past fifteen years since its introduction, single-drop microextraction has witnessed incessant growth in the range of applications of samples preparation for trace organic and inorganic analysis. This was mainly due to the array of modes that are available to accomplish extraction in harmony with the nature of analytes, and to use the extract directly for analysis by diverse instrumental methods. Whilst engineering of novel sorbent materials has expanded the sample capabilities of rival method of solid-phase microextraction, the single-drop microextraction – irrespective of the mode of extraction – uses common equipment found in analytical laboratories sans any modification, and in a much economic way. The recent innovations made in the field, as highlighted in this review article in the backdrop of historical developments, are due to the freedom in operational conditions and practicability to exploit chemical principals for optimum extraction and sensitive determination of analytes. Literature published till July 2011 has been covered.     

Strategies for the microextraction of polar organic contaminants in water samples

In this paper the most recent developments in the microextraction of polar analytes from aqueous environmental samples are critically reviewed. The particularities of different microextraction approaches, mainly solid-phase microextraction (SPME), stir-bar-sorptive extraction (SBSE), and liquid-phase microextraction (LPME), and their suitability for use in combination with chromatographic or electrically driven separation techniques for determination of polar species are discussed. The compatibility of microextraction techniques, especially SPME, with different derivatisation strategies enabling GC determination of polar analytes and improving their extractability is revised. In addition to the use of derivatisation reactions, the possibility of enhancing the yield of solid-phase microextraction methods for polar analytes by using new coatings and/or larger amounts of sorbent is also considered. Finally, attention is also focussed on describing the versatility of LPME in its different possible formats and its ability to improve selectivity in the extraction of polar analytes with acid-base properties by using separation membranes and buffer solutions, instead of organic solvents, as the acceptor solution.     

Validation of SPME-GC and HS-GC procedures for the determination of selected solvent residues in edible oil matrices

The validation process – in accordance with the recommendation of the International Conference on Harmonization – was performed in order to define and determine the application of the developed procedures for the determination of solvent residues (hexane, benzene, toluene and chlorinated hydrocarbons – trichloromethane, 1,1,1-trichloroethane, tetrachloromethane, trichloroethene, tetrachloroethene) in oil samples. For extraction and preconcentration of analytes, two simple sample preparation techniques – static headspace analysis (HSA) and solid phase microextraction (SPME) – have been used. Gas chromatography with a flame ionization detector (FID) and electron capture detector (ECD) was applied for the final determination. A critical comparison of developed procedures was conducted considering the values of: limits of detection, concentration ranges, repeatability and uncertainty. The linearity issue was described in details due to the broad measurement ranges of the proposed procedures.     

Nonequilibrium hollow-fiber liquid-phase microextraction with in situ derivatization for the measurement of triclosan in aqueous samples by gas chromatography–mass spectrometry

Hollow-fiber liquid-phase microextraction (HF-LPME), a relatively new sample preparation technique, has attracted much interest in the field of environmental analysis. In the current study, a novel method based on hollow-fiber liquid-phase microextraction with in situ derivatization and gas chromatography–mass spectrometry for the measurement of triclosan in aqueous samples is described. Hollow-fiber liquid-phase microextraction conditions such as the type of extraction solvent, the stirring rate, the volume of derivatizing reagent, and the extraction time were investigated. When the conditions had been optimized, the linear range was found to be 0.05–100 μg l⁻¹ for triclosan, and the limit of detection to be 0.02 μg l⁻¹. Tap water and surface water samples collected from our laboratory and Wohushan reservoir, respectively, were successfully analyzed using the proposed method. The recoveries from the spiked water samples were 83.6 and 114.1%, respectively; and the relative standard deviation (RSD) at the 1.0 μg l⁻¹ level was 6.9%.     

Recent trends in replacement of disperser solvent in dispersive liquid-liquid microextraction methods

Since its innovation in 2006, the dispersive liquid-liquid microextraction (DLLME) method has attracted the attention of analytical chemists in the field of sample preparation. This method has been successfully applied to determine trace amounts of pollutants in various matrices, but the restriction in the choice of suitable disperser and extraction solvents, and high disperser solvent consumption leading to decreased partition coefficients of the analytes between aqueous phase and extractant are its problems. To solve these drawbacks and develop environmentally friendly techniques, various alternatives for the conventional DLLME have been presented. The current review will begin with an introduction to the sample preparation, implementation of DLLME, and its advantages. Then, we focus on its drawbacks, which result mainly from the use of disperser solvent. Afterward, some of the most interesting approaches that have been employed and published until now are reviewed. Finally, an outlook on the future of these techniques will be given.     

Recent developments and applications of liquid phase microextraction in fruits and vegetables analysis

The sample preparation step has been identified as the bottleneck of analytical methodology in chemical analysis. Therefore, there is need for the development of cost‐effective, easy to operate, and environmentally friendly miniaturized sample preparation technique. The microextraction techniques combine extraction, isolation, concentration, and introduction of analytes into analytical instrument, to a single and uninterrupted step, and improve sample throughput. The use of liquid‐phase microextraction techniques for the analysis of pesticide residues in fruits and vegetables are discussed with the focus on the methodologies employed by different researchers and their analytical performances. Analytes are extracted using water‐immiscible solvents and are desorbed into gas chromatography, liquid chromatography, or capillary electrophoresis for identification and quantitation.     

Liquid–liquid–solid microextraction based on membrane-protected molecularly imprinted polymer fiber for trace analysis of triazines in complex aqueous samples

A novel liquid–liquid–solid microextraction (LLSME) technique based on porous membrane-protected molecularly imprinted polymer (MIP)-coated silica fiber has been developed. In this technique, a MIP-coated silica fiber was protected with a length of porous polypropylene hollow fiber membrane which was filled with water-immiscible organic phase. Subsequently the whole device was immersed into aqueous sample for extraction. The LLSME technique was a three-phase microextraction approach. The target analytes were firstly extracted from the aqueous sample through a few microliters of organic phase residing in the pores and lumen of the membrane, and were then finally extracted onto the MIP fiber. A terbutylazine MIP-coated silica fiber was adopted as an example to demonstrate the feasibility of the novel LLSME method. The extraction parameters such as the organic solvent, extraction and desorption time were investigated. Comparison of the LLSME technique was made with molecularly imprinted polymer based solid-phase microextraction (MIP-SPME) and hollow fiber membrane-based liquid-phase microextraction (HF-LPME), respectively. The LLSME, integrating the advantages of high selectivity of MIP-SPME and enrichment and sample cleanup capability of the HF-LPME into a single device, is a promising sample preparation method for complex samples. Moreover, the new technique overcomes the problem of disturbance from water when the MIP-SPME fiber was exposed directly to aqueous samples. Applications to analysis of triazine herbicides in sludge water, watermelon, milk and urine samples were evaluated to access the real sample application of the LLSME method by coupling with high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). Low limits of detection (0.006–0.02 μg L⁻¹), satisfactory recoveries and good repeatability for real sample (RSD 1.2–9.6%, n = 5) were obtained. The method was demonstrated to be a fast, selective and sensitive pretreatment method for trace analysis of triazines in complex aqueous samples.     

Sample handling strategies for the determination of persistent trace organic contaminants from biota samples

Even after emergence of most advanced instrumental techniques for the final separation, detection, identification and determination of analytes, sample handling continues to play a basic role in environmental analysis of complex matrices. In fact, sample preparation steps are often the bottleneck for combined time and efficiency in many overall analytical procedures. Thus, it is not surprising that, in the last two decades, a lot of effort has been devoted to the development of faster, safer, and more environment friendly techniques for sample extraction and extract clean up, prior to actual instrumental analysis. This article focuses on the state of the art in sample preparation of environmental solid biological samples dedicated to persistent organic pollutants (POPs) analysis. Extraction techniques such as Soxhlet extraction, sonication-assisted extraction, supercritical fluid extraction (SFE), microwave-assisted extraction (MAE), pressurised liquid extraction (PLE) and matrix solid-phase dispersion (MSPD) are reviewed and their most recent applications to the determination of POPs in biota samples are provided. Additionally, classical as well as promising novel extraction/clean-up techniques such as solid phase microextraction (SPME) are also summarized. Finally, emerging trends in sample preparation able to integrate analytes extraction and their adequate clean-up are presented.     

Liquid phase microextraction of pesticides: a review on current methods

Liquid phase microextraction (LPME) enables analytes to be extracted with a few microliters of an organic solvent. LPME is a technique for sample preparation that is extremely simple, affordable and virtually a solvent-free. It can provide a high degree of selectivity and enrichment by eliminating carry-over between single runs. A variety of solvents are known for the extraction of the various analytes. These features have led to the development of techniques such as single drop microextraction, hollow fiber LPME, dispersive liquid-liquid microextraction, and others. LPME techniques have been applied to the analysis of pharmaceuticals, food, beverages, and pesticides. This review covers the history of LPME methods, and then gives a comprehensive collection of their application to the preconcentration and determination of pesticides in various matrices. Specific sections cover (a) sample treatment techniques in general, (b) single-drop microextraction, (c) extraction based on the use of ionic liquids, (d) solidified floating organic drop microextraction, and various other techniques. Contains 149 references.