Sensitivity enhancement of chlorinated phenols by continuous flow liquid membrane extraction followed by capillary electrophoresis

This paper describes a new analytical system, based on the combination of continuous flow liquid membrane extraction (CFLME) enrichment and capillary electrophoresis (CE) separation, for analysis of chlorinated phenols in water samples. Five chlorinated phenols including 3-chlorophenol (3CP), 4-chlorophenol (4CP) 2,4-dichlorophenol (DCP), 2,4,6-trichlorophenol (TCP), and pentachlorophenol (PCP) were separated by CE with Tris/sodium dihydrogen phosphate solution containing methanol 1% (v/v) as the run buffer. CFLME related parameters were investigated and optimal enrichment was obtained by using 0.3 mol L(-1) Tris as acceptor and with a sample pH 5.0, a sample flow rate of 4.0 mL min(-1), and an enrichment sample volume of 150 mL. The detection limit (S/N= 3) was 6.9, 1.0, and 1.7 ng mL(-1) for DCP, PCP, and TCP, respectively. The reproducibility (RSD%, n = 6) was 5.7 for DCP, 2.5 for PCP, and 2.8% for TCP (n = 6). The proposed method was applied to the determination of chlorinated phenols in spiked water samples with relatively satisfactory recoveries.     

Trace analysis of sulfonylurea herbicides in water by on-line continuous flow liquid membrane extraction--C18 precolumn liquid chromatography with ultraviolet absorbance detection

An on-line system that consists of continuous-flow liquid membrane extraction (CFLME), C18 precolumn, and liquid chromatography with UV detection was applied to trace analysis of sulfonylurea herbicides in water. During preconcentration by CFLME, five target compounds, including metsulfuron methyl, bensulfuron methyl, tribenuron methyl, sulfometuron methyl, and ethametsulfuron, were enriched in 960 microl of 0.5 mol l(-1) Na2CO3-NaHCO3 (pH 10.8) buffer used as acceptor. This acceptor was on-line neutralized and transported to the C18 precolumn where the analytes were absorbed and focused. Then the focused analytes were injected onto a C18 analytical column for separation and detection at 240 nm. The proposed method was applied to determine sulfonylurea herbicides in water, river, and reservoir water with detection limits of 10-50 ng l(-1) when enriching a 120-ml sample. Throughput is typically one sample per hour.     

A simple supported liquid hollow fiber membrane microextraction for sample preparation of trihalomethanes in water samples

A simple and efficient liquid-phase microextraction (LPME) technique using a supported liquid hollow fiber membrane, in conjunction with gas chromatography-electron capture detector has been developed for extraction and determination of trihalomethanes (THMs) in water samples. THMs were extracted from water samples through an organic extracting solvent impregnated in the pores and filled inside the porous hollow fiber membrane. Our simple conditions were conducted at 35 degrees C with no stirring and no salt addition in order to minimize sample preparation steps. Parameters such as types of hollow fiber membranes, extracting solvents and extraction time were studied and optimized. The method exhibited enrichment factors ranged from 28- to 62-fold within 30 min extraction time. The linearity of the method ranged from 0.2 to 100 microg l(-1). The limits of detection were in the low microg l(-1) level, ranging between 0.01 and 0.2 microg l(-1). The recoveries of spiked THMs at 5 microg l(-1) in water were between 98 and 105% with relative standard deviations (RSDs) less than 4%. Furthermore, the method was applied for determination of THMs in drinking water and tap water samples was reported.     

Determination of triazine herbicides in aqueous samples by dispersive liquid-liquid microextraction with gas chromatography-ion trap mass spectrometry

A simple and rapid new dispersive liquid-liquid microextraction technique (DLLME) coupled with gas chromatography-ion trap mass spectrometric detection (GC-MS) was developed for the extraction and analysis of triazine herbicides from water samples. In this method, a mixture of 12.0 microL chlorobenzene (extraction solvent) and 1.00 mL acetone (disperser solvent) is rapidly injected by syringe into the 5.00 mL water sample containing 4% (w/v) sodium chloride. In this process, triazines in the water sample are extracted into the fine droplets of chlorobenzene. After centrifuging for 5 min at 6000 rpm, the fine droplets of chlorobenzene are sedimented in the bottom of the conical test tube (8.0+/-0.3 microL). The settled phase (2.0 microL) is collected and injected into the GC-MS for separation and determination of triazines. Some important parameters, viz, type of extraction solvent, identity and volume of disperser solvent, extraction time, and salt effect, which affect on DLLME were studied. Under optimum conditions the enrichment factors and extraction recoveries were high and ranged between 151-722 and 24.2-115.6%, respectively. The linear range was wide (0.2-200 microg L(-1)) and the limits of detection were between 0.021 and 0.12 microg L(-1) for most of the analytes. The relative standard deviations (RSDs) for 5.00 microg L(-1) of triazines in water were in the range of 1.36-8.67%. The performance of the method was checked by analysis of river and tap water samples, and the relative recoveries of triazines from river and tap water at a spiking level of 5.0 microg L(-1) were 85.2-114.5% and 87.8-119.4%, respectively. This method was also compared with solid-phase microextraction (SPME) and hollow fiber protected liquid-phase microextraction (HFP-LPME) methods. DLLME is a very simple and rapid method, requiring less than 3 min. It also has high enrichment factors and recoveries for the extraction of triazines from water.     

Trace-level determination of triazines and several degradation products in environmental waters by disk solid-phase extraction and micellar electrokinetic chromatography

An analytical method combining disk solid-phase extraction with micellar electrokinetic chromatography has been developed for the determination of atrazine, simazine, hydroxyatrazine, deisopropylatrazine, deethylatrazine, propazine and prometryn in water samples. The influence of the buffer and sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) concentration, pH and organic modifier on the separation has been studied. Baseline separation of the seven triazines was achieved under the following conditions: 10 mM borate buffer, 60 mM SDS, 20% methanol and pH 9.2. C18-bonded silica and poly(styrene-divinylbenzene) (PS-DVB) disks were evaluated for solid-phase extraction of the selected pesticides (11 of water sample). Using two PS-DVB disks, quantitative recoveries were obtained for all pesticides tested. The method was successfully applied for the determination of the seven triazines in drinking and well water at the 0.1 microg l(-1) and 0.5 microg l(-1) concentration levels, respectively. The detection limits for these analytes using the proposed analytical method were within the 0.02-0.06 microg l(-1) range in drinking water and the 0.06-0.30 microg l(-1) range in well water.     

New hydrophilic polymeric resin based on 4-vinylpyridine-divinylbenzene for solid-phase extraction of polar compounds from water

A 4-vinylpyridine-divinylbenzene (VP-DVB) resin was synthesized to be used for on-line solid-phase extraction process and it was tested for a group of polar compounds. The high specific surface area and the nitrogen content of the VP-DVB sorbent increased the interactions with the polar analytes in the preconcentration process. The sorbent enabled 100 ml of water to be concentrated with recoveries higher than 70% for several polar compounds (including phenol) except for oxamyl (55%) and methomyl (43%). The method was used to analyse water samples by liquid chromatography and UV detection. Linearity was good and detection limits were 0.1-0.2 microg l(-1) for all compounds. Several tap and river water and waste water treatment plant samples were analyzed; phenol and (4-chloro-2-methyl-phenoxy)acetic acid (MCPA) were tentatively determined in some samples.     

Continuous flow liquid membrane extraction: a novel automatic trace-enrichment technique based on continuous flow liquid-liquid extraction combined with supported liquid membrane

Combining the continuous flow liquid-liquid extraction (CFLLE) and supported liquid membrane (SLM) extraction, a novel aqueous-aqueous extraction technique that we termed continuous flow liquid membrane extraction (CFLME) is developed for trace-enrichment. The analyte was firstly extracted into the organic phase in the CFLLE step, then transported onto the organic liquid membrane that formed on the surface of the micro porous membrane of the SLM equipment. Finally, it passed through the liquid membrane and was trapped by the acceptor. Aspects related to CFLME were studied by using dichloromethane as liquid membrane, and sulfonylurea herbicides as model compounds. An enrichment factor of over 1000 was obtained when 10 μg l⁻¹ of MSM was enriched for 120 min by this technique. The drawbacks of only a few organic solvents can be selected as liquid membrane with a limited lifetime in SLM operation was overcome. In this CFLME method, almost all solvents that used in the conventional liquid-liquid extraction (LLE) can be adopted and the lifetime of liquid membrane is no longer a problem.     

Evaluation of an on-line coupled continuous flow liquid membrane extraction and precolumn system as trace enrichment technique by liquid chromatographic determination of bisphenol A

An on-line coupled continuous flow liquid membrane extraction (CFLME) and C₁₈ precolumn system was developed for sample preconcentration in liquid chromatography determination. After preconcentration by CFLME, which is based on the combination of continuous flow liquid–liquid extraction and supported liquid membrane, bisphenol A (BPA) was enriched in 960 μl of 1 mol l⁻¹ NaOH used as acceptor. This acceptor was on-line neutralized and transported onto the C₁₈ precolumn where analytes were absorbed and focused. Then the focused analytes were injected onto a C₁₈ analytical column for separation and detected at 220 nm with a diode array detector. CFLME related parameters such as flow rates, pH of donor and acceptor, and enrichment time were optimized. The proposed method presents a detection limit of 0.03 μg l⁻¹ (S/N=3) when 60 ml samples was enriched with an enrichment time of 30 min. Compared with C₁₈ based column-switching procedure, this proposed procedure presents similar sample throughput and lower detection limits. The proposed method was successfully applied to determine BPA in tap water, river water, and municipal sewage effluent samples.     

High-performance liquid-chromatographic determination of rifampicin in plasma and tissues

A HPLC-UV method has been developed for assaying rifampicin in plasma and liver. The assay involved a liquid-liquid extraction procedure with dichloromethane-pentane (1:1). An Ultrabase-C18 column and a simple mobile phase consisting of a water (pH 2.27)-acetonitrile (40:60, v/v) mixture were used. The flow-rate was 1 ml/min and the effluent was monitored at 333 nm. Results from the HPLC analyses showed that the assay method is linear in the ranges 0.1-1 and 1-50 microg/ml for plasma, and 0.6-40 microg/g for liver. Intra- and inter-day R.S.D. were below 15% for all the sample types. Recoveries averaged 83 and 95% for plasma and liver, respectively. The method is being successfully applied to determine rifampicin in plasma and liver samples taken during pharmacokinetic studies in rats.     

Determination of chlorophenols in water samples using simultaneous dispersive liquid-liquid microextraction and derivatization followed by gas chromatography-electron-capture detection

Simultaneous dispersive liquid-liquid microextraction (DLLME) and derivatization combined with gas chromatography-electron-capture detection (GC-ECD) was used to determine chlorophenols (CPs) in water sample. In this derivatization/extraction method, 500 microL acetone (disperser solvent) containing 10.0 microL chlorobenzene (extraction solvent) and 50 microL acetic anhydride (derivatization reagent) was rapidly injected by syringe in 5.00 mL aqueous sample containing CPs (analytes) and K(2)CO(3) (0.5%, w/v). Within a few seconds the analytes derivatized and extracted at the same time. After centrifugation, 0.50 microL of sedimented phase containing enriched analytes was determined by GC-ECD. Some effective parameters on derivatization and extraction, such as extraction and disperser solvent type and their volume, amount of derivatization reagent, derivatization and extraction time, salt addition and amount of K(2)CO(3) were studied and optimized. Under the optimum conditions, enrichment factors and recoveries are in the range of 287-906 and 28.7-90.6%, respectively. The calibration graphs are linear in the range of 0.02-400 microg L(-1) and limit of detections (LODs) are in the range of 0.010-2.0 microg L(-1). The relative standard deviations (RSDs, for 200 microg L(-1) of MCPs, 100 microg L(-1) of DCPs, 4.00 microg L(-1) of TCPs, 2.00 microg L(-1) of TeCPs and PCP in water) with and without using internal standard are in the range of 0.6-4.7% (n=7) and 1.7-7.1% (n=7), respectively. The relative recoveries of well, tap and river water samples which have been spiked with different levels of CPs are 91.6-104.7, 80.8-117.9 and 83.3-101.3%, respectively. The obtained results show that simultaneous DLLME and derivatization combined with GC-ECD is a fast simple method for the determination of CPs in water samples.     

Cloud point extraction for high-performance liquid chromatographic speciation of Cr(III) and Cr(VI) in aqueous solutions

Cloud point extraction (CPE) was applied as a preconcentration step for HPLC speciation of chromium in aqueous solutions. Simultaneous preconcentration of Cr(III) and Cr(VI) in aqueous solutions was achieved by CPE with diethyldithiocarbamate (DDTC) as the chelating agent and Triton X-114 as the extractant. Baseline separation of the DDTC chelates of Cr(III) and Cr(VI) was realized on a RP-C18 column with the use of a mixture of methanol-water-acetonitrile (65:21:14, v/v) buffered with 0.05 M NaAc-HAc solution (pH 3.6) as the mobile phase at a flow rate of 1.0 ml min(-1). The precision (R.S.D.) for eight replicate injections of a mixture of 100 microg l(-1) of Cr(III) and Cr(VI) were 0.6 and 0.5% for the retention time, 4.1 and 4.6% for the peak area measurement, respectively. The concentration factor, which is defined as the concentration ratio of the analyte in the final diluted surfactant-rich extract ready for HPLC separation and in the initial solution, was 65 for Cr(III) and 19 for Cr(VI). The linear concentration range was from 50 to 1000 microg l(-1) for Cr(III) and 50-2000 microg l(-1) for Cr(VI). The detection limits of Cr(III) and Cr(VI) were 3.4 and 5.2 microg l(-1), respectively. The developed method was applied to the speciation of Cr(III) and Cr(VI) in snow water, river water, seawater and wastewater samples.     

Multiresidue determination of fluoroquinolones in eggs

A multiresidue method was developed for the determination of fluoroquinolones in eggs. Extraction of eggs with ammoniacal acetonitrile was followed by liquid-liquid defatting, solvent evaporation, and redissolution in a small volume of buffer. The fluoroquinolones were further purified by on-line microdialysis, concentrated on a trace enrichment column, and separated by reversed-phase liquid chromatography with fluorescence detection. Norfloxacin (NOR), ciprofloxacin (CIP), and sarafloxacin (SAR) were extracted from fortified eggs over a range of 2-200 microg/kg, with recoveries of 65.7-78.9%, 65.6-77.1%, and 67.6-110%, respectively. Enrofloxacin (ENRO) was extracted over a range of 1-100 microg/kg, with recoveries of 71.5-86.7%, whereas desethylene ciprofloxacin (DCIP) and danofloxacin (DANO) were extracted over a range of 0.2-20 microg/kg, with recoveries of 68.7-90.7% and 76.0-93.8%, respectively. The limits of quantitation for the 6 fluoroquinolones were as follows: DCIP and DANO, 0.3 microg/kg; ENRO, 1 microg/kg; NOR and CIP, 2 microg/kg; and SAR, 3 microg/kg. Both SAR and ENRO incurred eggs were also successfully analyzed using this method.     

Rapid determination of lead and cadmium in sewage sludge samples using electrothermal atomic absorption spectrometry with slurry sample introduction

Lead and cadmium concentrations in sewage sludge samples are determined by suspending the ground samples in a solution containing 10% (v/v) concentrated hydrofluoric acid, 1% (v/v) concentrated nitric acid, 0.5% (m/v) dihydrogen ammonium phosphate and 0.1% (m/v) sodium hexametaphosphate. Aliquots of 20 microL of these suspensions (4 mg/mL) are diluted to 1000 microL with the same solution and then injected into the electrothermal atomizer. The drying stage is performed by programming a 400 degrees C temperature, a ramp time of 20 s and a hold time of 15 s on the power supply of the atomizer. No ashing step is used. Platform atomization is carried out at 1600 and 1800 degrees C for Pb and Cd, respectively. Calibration is performed using aqueous standards in the 5-75 and 0.2-5 microg/L Pb and Cd ranges, respectively. Results obtained for three certified reference materials and four samples demonstrate the reliability of the procedures described.     

Analysis of oxytetracycline, tetracycline, and chlortetracycline in water using solid-phase extraction and liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry

A method using liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry has been developed for determination of trace levels of tetracycline antibiotics in ground water and confined animal feeding operation waste water. Oxytetracycline (OTC), tetracycline (TC), and chlortetracycline (CTC) were extracted from water samples using both polymeric and C18 extraction cartridges. The addition of a buffer containing potassium phosphate and citric acid improved tetracycline recoveries in lagoon water. Method detection limits determined in reagent water fortified with 1 microg l(-1) OTC, TC, and CTC were 0.21, 0.20, and 0.28 microg l(-1). Method detection limits in lagoon water samples fortified at 20 microg l(-1) for OTC, TC, and CTC were 3.6, 3.1, and 3.8 microg l(-1). Variability in recovery from laboratory fortified blanks ranged from 86 to 110% during routine analysis.     

Ionic liquid-based liquid-phase microextraction, a new sample enrichment procedure for liquid chromatography

Room temperature ionic liquids (RTILs) were used as extraction solvent in liquid-phase microextraction (LPME) coupled with liquid chromatography. Using 1-hexyl-3-methylimidazolium hexafluorophosphate ([C6MIM][PF6]) as extraction solvent, some parameters related to LPME of 4-nonylphenol (4-NP) and 4-tert-octylphenol (4-t-OP) were optimized. Although [C6MIM][PF6] can suspend a much larger volume of drop on the needle of the microsyringe than the conventional solvents such as 1-octanol and carbon tetrachloride, the method sensitivity was analyte dependent because of the different partition coefficients and the relatively large viscosity of [C6MIM][PF6]. The proposed procedure has a detection limit and enrichment factor of 0.3 microg l(-1) and 163 for 4-NP, and 0.7 microg l(-1) and 130 for 4-t-OP, respectively. Aqueous samples including tap water, river water, and effluent from sewage treatment plant were analyzed by the proposed method and the recoveries at 10 microg l(-1) spiked level were in the range of 90-113%.     

Optimization of nonequilibrium liquid-phase microextraction for the determination of nitrobenzenes in aqueous samples by gas chromatography-electron capture detection.

In the present work, a novel method for the determination of nitrobenzenes in water has been described. It is based on nonequilibrium liquid-phase microextraction and gas chromatography-electron capture detection (GC-ECD). Extraction conditions such as solvent selection, organic solvent dropsize, stirring rate, content of NaCl and extraction time were found to have significant influence on extraction efficiency. The optimized conditions were 1.5 microl toluene and 20 min extraction time at 400 rpm stirring rate without NaCl addition. The linear range was 0.1 - 50 microg l(-1) for most nitrobenzenes. The limits of detection (LODs) ranged from 0.02 microg l(-1) (for 2.6-DNT) to 0.4 microg l(-1) (for NB); and relative standard deviations (RSD) for most of the nitrobenzenes at the 10 microg l(-1) level, except for 2,6-DNT in 3 microg l(-1), were below 10%. Natural samples collected from Miyun Reservoir and tap water samples from a laboratory were successfully analyzed using the proposed method, but none of the analytes were detected. The relative recoveries of spiked water samples (at the 10 microg l(-1) level except for 2,6-DNT in 3 microg l(-1)) were from 82.6 to 118.7%.     

Determination of chlorobenzenes in water by drop-based liquid-phase microextraction and gas chromatography-electron capture detection

A drop-based liquid phase microextraction and gas chromatographic-electron capture detection (GC-ECD) method was described for the determination of chlorobenzenes including chlorobenzene, 1,2-dichlorobenzene, 1,3-dichlorobenzene, 1,4-dichlorobenzene and 1,2,3-trichlorobenzene in 5 ml of water. The method used 2 microl of n-hexane as extraction solvent, 5 min extraction time, a stirring rate of 600 rpm and sample ionic strength of 3 M maintained with sodium chloride at 25 degrees C (ambient temperature). The limits of detection (LODs) ranged from 0.004 microg l(-1) (for 1,3-dichlorobenzene) to 0.008 microg l(-1) (for monochlorobenzene). The dynamic linear range for all investigated chlorobenzenes was 1-50 microg l(-1). Recoveries of chlorobenzenes from fortified distilled water are over 90% for three different fortification levels (5, 15 and 45 microg l(-1)) and relative standard deviations of the recoveries are below 6%. Analysis of fortified (5 microg l(-1)) real water samples revealed that matrices had no adverse effect on extraction efficiency of proposed method. The recovery of fortified real water samples was from 90 to 94% with relative standard deviations below 6%.     

高效液相色谱-柱后衍生法检测养殖水体及沉积物中11种磺胺药物残留

建立了养殖水体及沉积物中11种磺胺化合物的高效液相色谱-柱后衍生分析方法。养殖水体过滤后采用HLB固相萃取柱进行净化、富集;沉积物采用甲醇/EDTA-Mcllvaine缓冲液(1:1, v/v)提取,HLB固相萃取柱净化富集。经高效液相色谱分离,用荧光胺衍生试剂进行柱后衍生,荧光检测器检测。对柱后衍生系统参数进行了优化,确定了荧光胺溶液的浓度、流速和反应温度分别为0.2 g/L、0.15 mL/min和50 ℃,磺胺化合物在0.01~1.0 mg/L范围内线性显著,其相关系数r²值大于0.99995。11种磺胺类药物在养殖水体和沉积物中的加标回收率分别为79.3%~100.7%和74.6%~95.3%,相对标准偏差为2.2%~11.0%和2.6%~10.3%,检出限(LOD, S/N=3)为0.9~5.5 ng/L和0.3~1.3 μg/kg,定量限(LOQ, S/N=10)为3.0~18.1 ng/L和1.0~4.4 μg/kg。该法可应用于养殖环境中磺胺类药物的定性定量检测,具有较好的实用性。     

Cloud point extraction and simultaneous determination of zirconium and hafnium using ICP-OES

In the present study a simple versatile separation method using cloud point procedure for extraction of trace levels of zirconium and hafnium is proposed. The extraction of analytes from aqueous samples was performed in the presence of quinalizarine as chelating agent and Triton X-114 as a non-ionic surfactant. After phase separation, the surfactant-rich phase was diluted with 30% (v/v) propanol solution containing 1 mol l(-1) HNO3. Then, the enriched analytes in the surfactant-rich phase were determined by inductively coupled plasma-optical emission spectrometry (ICP-OES). The different variables affecting the complexation and extraction conditions were optimized. Under the optimum conditions (i.e. 3.4 x 10(-5) mol l(-1) quinalizarine, 0.1% (w/v) Triton X-114, 55 degrees C equilibrium temperature) the calibration graphs were linear in the range of 0.5-1000 mug l(-1) with detection limits (DLs) of 0.26 and 0.31 microg l(-1) for Zr and Hf, respectively. Under the presence of foreign ions no significant interference was observed. The precision (%RSD) for 8 replicate determinations at 200 microg l(-1) of Zr and Hf was better than 2.9% and the enrichment factors were obtained as 38.9 and 35.8 for Zr and Hf, respectively. Finally, the proposed method was successfully utilized for the determination of these cations in water and alloy samples.     

High performance liquid chromatography determination of chlorophenols in water samples after preconcentration by continuous flow liquid membrane extraction on-line coupled with a precolumn

A continuous flow liquid membrane extraction (CFLME)-C₁₈ precolumn-liquid chromatography system was developed for preconcentration and determination of chlorinated phenols (CPs). After preconcentration by CFLME, which is based on the combination of continuous flow liquid-liquid extraction and supported liquid membrane, CPs were enriched in 960 μl of 0.5 mol l⁻¹ NaOH used as acceptor. This acceptor was on-line neutralized and transported onto the C₁₈ precolumn where analytes were absorbed and focused. Then the focused analytes were injected onto the C₁₈ analytical column for separation and detected at 215 nm with a diode array detector. CFLME related parameters such as flow rates, pH of donor and acceptor concentration were optimized. The proposed method presents detection limits of 0.02-0.09 μg l⁻¹ (S/N=3) when 100 ml samples were enriched. The proposed method was successfully applied to determine CPs in tap water and river water samples with spiked recoveries in the range of 70-121%.