Single-drop microextraction followed by in-syringe derivatization and gas chromatography-mass spectrometric detection for determination of organic acids in fruits and fruit juices

A simple analytical procedure based on single-drop microextraction combined with in-syringe derivatization and GC-MS was developed for determination of some phenolic acids in fruits and fruit juices. Cinnamic acid, o-coumaric acid, caffeic acid, and p-hydroxybenzoic acid were used as model compounds. The analytes were extracted from a 3-mL sample solution using 2.5 microL of hexyl acetate. The extracted phenolic acids were derivatized inside the syringe barrel using 0.7 microL of N,O-bis(trimethylsilyl)acetamide before injection into the GC-MS. The influence of derivatization conditions on the yield of in-syringe silylation was studied. Experimental SDME parameters such as selection of organic solvent, solvent volume, extraction time, extraction temperature, pH, and ionic strength of the solution on the extraction performance were studied. The method provided fairly good precision for all compounds (2.4-11.9%). Detection limits were found to be between 0.6 and 164 ng/mL within an extraction time of 20 min in the GC-MS full scan mode.     

Mixed liquids for single-drop microextraction of organochlorine pesticides in vegetables

A new approach for the extraction of nine kinds of organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) from vegetable samples coupling single-drop microextraction with gas chromatography-mass spectrometry was presented. Experimental parameters, such as organic solvent, exposure time, agitation and organic drop volume were controlled and optimized. An effective extraction was achieved by suspending a 1.00microL mixed drop of p-xylene and acetone (8:2, v/v) to the tip of a microsyringe immersed in a 2mL donor aqueous solution and stirred at 400rpm. The approach was applied to the determination of OCPs in vegetable samples with a linearity range of 0.05-20ng mL(-1) for alpha-, beta-, gamma-, delta-hexachlorobenzene (BHC) and dicofol, 0.5-20ng mL(-1) for dieldrin and 2,2-bis(4-chlorophenyl)-1,1-dichloroethane (DDD) or 0.5-50ng mL(-1) for 2,2-bis(4-chlorophenyl)-1,1-dichloroethylene (DDE) and 2-(2-chlorophenyl)-2 (4-chlorophenyl)-1,1,1-trichloroethane (p,p'-DDT). Correspondingly, the determination limit at an S/N of 3 ranged from 0.05ng mL(-1) for alpha-, beta-, gamma-, delta-BHC to 0.2ng mL(-1) for dicofol, dieldrin or p,p'-DDT. The relative recoveries were from 63.3 to 100%, with repeatability ranging from 8.74 to 18.9% (relative standard deviation, R.S.D.). The single-drop microextraction was proved to be a fast and simple approach for the pre-concentration of organochlorine pesticides in vegetable samples.     

Determination of decabromodiphenyl ether in water samples by single-drop microextraction and RP-HPLC

This paper describes the development of a new method using single-drop microextraction (SDME) and RP-HPLC for the determination of decabromodiphenyl ether (BDE-209) in water samples. The effects of SDME parameters such as extraction solvent, microdrop volume, extraction time, stirring speed, salt concentration, and sample pH on the extraction performance are investigated. Under optimal extraction conditions (extraction solvent, toluene; solvent drop volume, 3.0 microL; extraction time, 15 min; stirring speed, 600 rpm; no addition of salt and change of sample pH), the calibration curve was drawn by plotting peak area against a series of BDE-209 concentrations (0.001-1 microg/mL) in aqueous solution; the correlation coefficient (r) was 0.9998. The limit of detection was 0.7 ng/mL. The enrichment factor was 10.6. The precision of this method was obtained by six successive analyses of a 100 ng/mL standard solution of BDE-209, and RSD was 4.8%. This method was successfully applied to the extraction of BDE-209 from tap and East Lake water samples with relative recoveries ranging from 92.5 to 102.8% and from 91.5 to 96.2%, respectively, and the relative standard deviations (n = 3) were 4.4 and 2.2%. The proposed method is acceptable for the analysis of BDE-209 in water samples.     

Optimization of a single-drop microextraction procedure for the determination of organophosphorus pesticides in water and fruit juice with gas chromatography-flame photometric detection

A single-drop microextraction (SDME) procedure was developed for the analysis of organophosphorus pesticides (OPPs) in water and fruit juice by gas chromatography (GC) with flame photometric detection (GC-FPD). The significant parameters affecting the SDME performance such as selection of microextraction solvent, solvent volume, extraction time, stirring rate, sample pH and temperature, and ionic strength were studied and optimized. Two types of SDME mode, static and cycle-flow SDME, were evaluated. The static SDME procedure provided more sensitive analysis of the target analytes. Therefore, static SDME with tributyl phosphate (TBP) as internal standard was selected for the real sample analysis. The limits of detection (LODs) in water for the six studied compounds were between 0.21 and 0.56 ng/mL with the relative standard deviations ranging from 1.7 to 10.0%. Linear response data was obtained in the concentration range of 0.5-50 ng/mL (except for dichlorvos 1.0-50 ng/mL) with correlation coefficients from 0.9995 to 0.9999. Environmental water sample collected from East Lake and fruit juice samples were successfully analyzed using the proposed method, but none of the analytes in both lake water and fruit juice were detected. The recoveries for the spiked water and juice samples were from 77.7 to 113.6%. Compared with the conventional methods, the proposed method enabled a rapid and simple determination of organophosphorus pesticides in water and fruit juice with minimal solvent consumption and a higher concentration capability.     

Multiple headspace single-drop microextraction-a new technique for quantitative determination of styrene in polystyrene

Single-drop microextraction (SDME), an emerging miniaturised extraction technique, was for the first time combined with multiple headspace extraction (MHE) to enable the quantitative determination of volatiles in solid matrixes by SDME technique. The concept of multiple headspace single-drop microextraction (MHS-SDME) was then applied for quantitative determination of styrene in polystyrene (PS) samples. Good linearity for the multiple headspace extraction was obtained when the migration of styrene was facilitated by grinding the samples and incubating them for 1 h at 150 degrees C prior the first extraction. Two microlitres of butyl acetate was used as the single-drop microextraction solvent and the extraction time was 5 min per cycle. The relative standard deviation (RSD) for single-drop microextraction of styrene standard at n=6 was 7.6%. Linearity was shown for styrene concentrations between 0.005 and 0.75 microg/ml (R2=0.999). This corresponds to total amount of styrene between 0.1 and 15 microg. The limit of quantitation for styrene standard at S/N 10 was 0.005 microg/ml. The developed method was validated against and showed good agreement with an earlier reported dissolution-precipitation method.     

Application of single-drop microextraction coupled with gas chromatography for the determination of multiclass pesticides in vegetables with nitrogen phosphorus and electron capture detection

In the present work the single-drop microextraction (SDME) technique coupled with GC-NPD and GC-ECD was evaluated for the determination of multi-class pesticides in vegetables. The donor sample solution preparation was optimized by testing different mixtures of solvents and dilutions with water. The SDME procedure was optimized by controlling drop organic solvent, drop volume, agitation, and exposure time. The optimum sample preparation was achieved with the use of a mixture of acetone/H(2)O (10/90, v/v) in donor sample solution preparation and the consequent SDME using a toluene drop under mild stirring for 25min. The efficiency of the extraction process was studied in fortified tomato and courgette samples and matrix effects were further estimated. The proposed method showed good linearity, limits of detection at the sub-microgkg(-1) level and high precision (RSD <15%) and was applied with success in real vegetable samples showing that SDME can be a promising way for sample preparation in pesticide residue analysis.     

Application of single-drop microextraction combined with in-microvial derivatization for determination of acidic herbicides in water samples by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry

A single-drop microextraction (SDME) method and gas chromatography with mass spectrometry detection have been developed for the determination of acidic herbicides in water. The analytes were extracted from a 3 mL sample solution using 4 microL of hexyl acetate. After extraction, derivatization was carried out inside a glass microvial (1.1mm i.d.) using pentafluorobenzyl bromide (PFBBr). Triethylamine (TEA) was used as the reaction catalyst. The influence of derivatization reagent volume, catalyst amount, derivatization time and temperature on the yield of the in-microvial derivatization was investigated. Derivatization reaction was performed using 0.3 microL of PFBBr and 0.4 microL of TEA (10%, v/v in toluene) at 100 degrees C during 5 min. Also, the effects of different experimental SDME parameters such as selection of organic solvent, sample pH, addition of salt, extraction time and temperature of extraction were studied. Analytical parameters such as enrichment factor, precision, linearity and detection limits were also determined. The enrichment factors were between 83 and 157. The limits of detection (LOD) were in the range 1.2-7 ng/L (S/N=3). The relative standard deviations obtained were below 10.1% (n=5).     

Determination of phenols in water samples by single-drop microextraction followed by in-syringe derivatization and gas chromatography-mass spectrometric detection

Trace analysis of phenolic compounds in water was performed by coupling single-drop microextraction (SDME) with in-syringe derivatization of the analytes and GC-MS analysis. The analytes were extracted from a 3ml sample solution using 2.5microl of hexyl acetate. After extraction, derivatization was carried out in syringe barrel using 0.5microl of N,O-bis(trimethylsilyl)acetamide. The influence of derivatizing reagent volume, derivatization time and temperature on the yield of the in-syringe silylation was investigated. Derivatization reaction is completed in 5min at 50 degrees C. Experimental SDME parameters, such as selection of organic solvent, sample pH, addition of salt, extraction time and temperature of extraction were studied. Analytical parameters, such as enrichment factor, precision, linearity and detection limits were also determined. The limits of detection were in the range of 4-61ng/l (S/N=3). The relative standard deviations obtained were between 4.8 and 12% (n=5).     

A rapid, sensitive and effective quantitative method for simultaneous determination of cationic surfactant mixtures from river and municipal wastewater by direct combination of single-drop microextraction with AP-MALDI mass spectrometry

A rapid, simple, sensitive, and effective quantitative method for simultaneous determination of cationic surfactants (CS(+)) from river and municipal wastewater by direct combination of single-drop microextraction (SDME) with atmospheric pressure (AP)-MALDI mass spectrometry has been successfully demonstrated without the requirements of tedious sample pre- or post-treatment or separation by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), gas chromatography (GC), and capillary electrophoresis (CE). This quantitative method can greatly enhance the signal-to-noise ratio for analysis of small molecules of CS(+) owing to the strong suppression of matrix ions by the analytes. In addition, SDME assisted in the isolation and preconcentration of CS(+) from water samples, which could effectively reduce the background interferences from the matrices present in waste and river water. The SDME conditions were optimized for achieving high extraction efficiency of CS(+) from aqueous samples, in terms of solvent selection, stirring speed, extraction time, exposure volume of acceptor phase, and salt addition. The enrichment factors for CS(+) were found to be 40-64-folds for 7 min of extraction time with no salt addition and at room temperature. This method was found to yield a linear calibration curve in the concentration range from 50 to 1500 microg/l CS(+) with a limit of detection (LOD) of 10 microg/l. The relative recoveries in river and municipal wastewater were found to be 93.8-103.6% and 91.0-98.7%, respectively. These results indicate that the combination of SDME with AP-MALDI/MS is effective for the simultaneous determination of CS(+) from river and municipal wastewater. In addition, a comparison of enrichments and LOD values for this method with hollow-fiber liquid phase microextraction (HF-LPME) was also demonstrated. The present approach is easy to operate, rapid, sensitive, and suitable for high-throughput of analysis.     

Headspace single-drop microextration for the detection of organotin compounds

The performance of single-drop microextraction (SDME), coupled with gas chromatography/mass spectrometry, was assessed for the determination of tributyltin compounds in water and solid samples. Experimental parameters impacting the performance of SDME, such as microextraction solvent and sampling and stirring time, were investigated. Analytical results obtained by SDME were compared with those generated by conventional solid phase microextraction (SPME) and liquid-liquid extraction (LLE) for the determination of TBT in PACS-2 sediment certified reference material (CRM).     

Simultaneous derivatization and extraction of primary amines in river water with dynamic hollow fiber liquid-phase microextraction followed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometric detection

A one-step derivatization and extraction technique for the determination of primary amines in river water by liquid-phase microextraction (LPME) is presented. In this method the primary amines are derivatized with pentafluorobenzaldehyde (PFBAY) in aqueous solution and extracted by dynamic hollow fiber-protected-LPME (HF-LPME) simultaneously. The effects of solvent selection, sample agitation, extraction time, extraction temperature and salt concentration on the extraction performance are investigated. High enrichments (172-244-fold) and good repeatabilities (RSD less than 7.2%) were obtained. Linearity in this developed method was ranging from 1 to 500 ng/ml, and the correlation coefficients (R2) were between 0.992 and 0.998. Comparisons of sensitivity and precision between dynamic HF-LPME and single-drop liquid-phase microextraction (SDME) were also made.     

基于离子液体的单滴微萃取-毛细管电泳在线联用测定水体中3种溴酚类化合物

建立了基于离子液体的单滴微萃取-毛细管电泳联用测定溴酚类化合物的方法。考察了萃取剂种类与体积、萃取时间、有机溶剂、盐浓度及萃取温度对萃取效率的影响。确定了最佳萃取条件为:以1-丁基-3-甲基咪唑六氟磷酸盐([C₄MIM]PF₆])离子液体作为萃取剂,萃取时间为8 min,样品溶液中NaCl浓度为10%(质量分数),萃取温度为20 ℃。在最佳条件下,3种溴酚(4-溴酚、2,6-二溴酚和2,4,6-三溴酚)在1~100 mg/L范围内呈良好的线性关系,线性相关系数为0.9939~0.9988;检出限为0.3 mg/L (S/N=3);该方法对3种溴酚的富集倍数分别为115.8、327.0和569.8; 6次平行测定的相对标准偏差为5.21%~6.47%;对本地区自来水、河水和湖水的加标回收率为87.8%~96.7%。结果表明,该方法稳定可靠,适合于水体中溴酚类污染物的测定。     

微滴液相微萃取技术用于气相色谱-质谱法测定食品中的酞酸酯

将一种新型、简单、快速、环境友好的萃取方法微滴液相微萃取(SDME)与气相色谱-质谱法结合用于快速分析食品中的几种酞酸酯(PAEs)。考察了萃取溶剂的种类及用量、微液滴在样品溶液中的深度、萃取时间及搅拌子的搅拌速度对微滴液相微萃取的影响。优化的萃取条件为:萃取溶剂为2.0 μL甲苯,微液滴在样品溶液中的深度为0.75 cm,搅拌速度为1000 r/min,萃取时间为20 min。该方法的线性范围为0.1～4000 μg/L,检测限为25 ng/L～0.8 mg/L,加标回收率为87.1%～114.4%,相对标准偏差为4.9%～11.6%。微滴液相微萃取所需的有机溶剂量很小,是一种快速、简单、安全、有效的水溶性样品的前处理方法。     

Single-drop microextraction and gas chromatography/mass spectrometric determination of anisaldehyde isomers in human urine and blood serum

The application of single-drop microextraction (SDME) followed by gas chromatography/chemical ionization mass spectrometry (GC/CI-MS) was investigated for the determination of anisaldehyde isomers in human urine and blood serum. The effects of extraction solvent, sample agitation rate, salt addition, sampling time and temperature on the extraction efficiency were examined and optimized. Analytical parameters such as linearity, reproducibility, detection limit and relative recovery were evaluated under the optimized experimental conditions. Good reproducibilities of replicate extractions (n = 5) were obtained, with relative standard deviation (RSD) values below 6%. The limits of detection (LOD) using an extraction time of 5 min were found to be in the range 2-5 ng/mL under the selected ion monitoring (SIM) mode of GC/MS. Recoveries of 82-98% were achieved after 5 min extraction.     

液相微萃取/离子色谱测定牛奶中的氨

以水为微滴萃取溶剂,采用顶空液相微萃取/离子色谱检测了牛奶中的氨.优化了顶空液相微萃取的实验条件:pH=12,萃取温度为35 ℃,萃取时间为15 min,搅拌速率为800 r/min,萃取溶剂体积为5 μL.测定氨的线性范围为10 ～300 μg·L-1(R2=0.998),检出限达1.8 μg·L-1,回收率为92% ～105%.     

Application of single-drop microextraction and comparison with solid-phase microextraction and solid-phase extraction for the determination of alpha- and beta-endosulfan in water samples by gas chromatography-electron-capture detection

Water contamination due to the wide variety of pesticides used in agriculture practices is a global environmental pollution problem. The 98/83 European Directive requires the measurement of pesticides residues at a target concentration of 1.0 microg/l in surface water and 0.1 microg/l in drinking water. In order to reach the level of detection required, efficient extraction techniques are necessary. The application of a new extraction technique: single-drop microextraction (SDME), followed by gas chromatography with electron-capture detection, was assessed for determining alpha-endosulfan and beta-endosulfan in water samples. Experimental parameters which control the performance of SDME, such as selection of microextraction solvent and internal standard, optimization of organic drop volume, effects of sample stirring, temperature and salt addition, and sorption time profiles were studied. Once SDME was optimized, analytical parameters such as linearity, precision, detection and quantitation limits, plus matrix effects were evaluated. The SDME method was compared with solid-phase microextraction and solid-phase extraction with the aim of selecting the most appropriate method for a certain application.     

Headspace single-drop microextraction with in-drop derivatization and capillary electrophoretic determination for free cyanide analysis

A new method involving headspace single-drop microextraction (SDME) with in-drop derivatization and CE is developed for the preconcentration and determination of free cyanide. An aqueous microdrop (5 microL) containing Ni(II)-NH(3) (as derivatization agent), sodium carbonate and ammonium pyromellitate (as internal standard) was used as the acceptor phase. The extracted cyanide forms a stable Ni(CN)(4) (2-) complex which is then determined by CE. Common experimental parameters (sample and acceptor phase pH, extraction temperature, extraction time and sample ionic strength) affecting the extraction efficiency were investigated. Using headspace SDME, free cyanide can be effectively extracted from the neutral solutions, i.e. without the acidification of the sample which often is prone to errors due to incomplete liberation and artefactual cyanide production. Proposed SDME-CE method provided about 58-fold enrichment in 20 min. The calibration curve was linear for concentrations of CN(-) in the range from 0.25 to 20 micromol/L (R(2) = 0.997). The LOD (S/N = 3) was estimated to be 0.08 micromol/L of CN(-). Such a detection sensitivity is high enough for free cyanide determination in common environmental and physiological samples. Finally, headspace SDME was applied to determine free cyanide in human saliva and urine samples with spiked recoveries in the range of 91.7-105.6%. The main advantage of this method is that sample clean-up, preconcentration and derivatization procedures can be completed in a single step. In addition, the proposed technique does not require any sample pretreatment and thus is much less susceptible to interferences compared to existing methods.     

Dispersive liquid-liquid microextraction followed by reversed phase HPLC for the determination of decabrominated diphenyl ether in natural water

A simple, rapid, and efficient method, dispersive liquid-liquid microextraction (DLLME), has been developed for the extraction and preconcentration of decabrominated diphenyl ether (BDE-209) in environmental water samples. The factors relevant to the microextraction efficiency, such as the kind and volume of extraction and dispersive solvent, the extraction time, and the salt effect, were optimized. Under the optimum conditions (extraction solvent: tetrachloroethane, volume, 22.0 microL; dispersive solvent: THF, volume, 1.00 mL; extraction time: below 5 s and without salt addition), the most time-consuming step is the centrifugation of the sample solution in the extraction procedure, which is about 2 min. In this method, the enrichment factor could be as high as 153 in 5.00 mL water sample, and the linear range, correlation coefficient (r(2)), detection limit (S/N = 3), and precision (RSD, n = 6) were 0.001-0.5 microg/mL, 0.9999, 0.2 ng/mL, and 2.1%, respectively. This method was successfully applied to the extraction of BDE-209 from tap, East Lake, and Yangtse River water samples; the relative recoveries were 95.8, 92.9, and 89.9% and the RSD% (n = 3) were 1.9, 2.7, and 3.5%, respectively. Comparison of this method with other methods, such as solid-phase microextraction (SPME), and single-drop microextraction (SDME), indicates that DLLME is a simple, fast, and low-cost method for the determination of BDE-209, and thus has tremendous potential in polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) residual analysis in environmental water samples.     

The development and optimization of a modified single-drop microextraction method for organochlorine pesticides determination by gas chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry

We have developed a new method for single-drop microextraction (SDME) for the preconcentration of organochlorine pesticides (OCP) from complex matrices. It is based on the use of a silicone ring at the tip of the syringe. A 5 μL drop of n-hexane is applied to an aqueous extract containing the OCP and found to be adequate to preconcentrate the OCPs prior to analysis by GC in combination with tandem mass spectrometry. Fourteen OCP were determined using this technique in combination with programmable temperature vaporization. It is shown to have many advantages over traditional split/splitless injection. The effects of kind of organic solvent, exposure time, agitation and organic drop volume were optimized. Relative recoveries range from 59 to 117 %, with repeatabilities of <15 % (coefficient of variation) were achieved. The limits of detection range from 0.002 to 0.150 μg kg^?1. The method was applied to the preconcentration of OCPs in fresh strawberry, strawberry jam, and soil.

Use of single-drop microextraction for determination of fentanyl in water samples

Fentanyl is a very potent synthetic narcotic analgesic. Because of its strong sedative properties, it has become an analogue of illicit drugs such as heroin. Its unambiguous detection and identification in environmental samples can be regarded as strong evidence of its illicit preparation. In this paper we report application of single-drop microextraction (SDME) for analysis of water samples spiked with fentanyl. Experimental conditions which affect the performance of SDME, for example the nature of the extracting solvent, sample stirring speed, extraction time, ionic strength, and solution pH, were optimized. The method was found to be linear in the concentration range 0.10–10 ng mL⁻¹. The limits of quantitation and detection of the method were 100 pg mL⁻¹ and <75 pg mL⁻¹, respectively. This technique is superior to other sample-preparation techniques because of the simple experimental set-up, short analysis time, high sensitivity, and minimum use of organic solvent.