Microfunnel‐filter‐based emulsification microextraction followed by gas chromatography for simple determination of organophosphorus pesticides in environmental water samples

A simple and fast method named microfunnel‐filter‐based emulsification microextraction is introduced for an efficient determination of some organophosphorus pesticides including diazinon, malathion, and chlorpyrifos in the environmental samples including the river, sea, and well water. This method is based upon the dispersion of a low‐toxicity organic solvent (dihexyl ether), as the extractant, in a high volume of an aqueous sample solution (45 mL). It is implemented without a centrifugation step, and using a syringe filter and a micro‐funnel, the phase separation and transfer of the enriched analytes to the gas chromatograph are simply achieved. By filtration of the extractant phase, a suitable sample clean‐up is obtained, and the total extraction time is just a few minutes. The factors influencing the extraction efficiency are optimized, and under the optimal conditions, the proposed method provides a good linearity (in the range of 15–1500 ng/mL (R² > 0.996). A high enrichment factor is obtained (in the range of 306–342), and the method provides low limits of detection and quantification (in the ranges of 4–8 and 15–25 ng/mL, respectively).     

Determination of acidic drugs in biological and environmental matrices by membrane‐based dual emulsification liquid‐phase microextraction followed by high‐performance liquid chromatography

A simple method is introduced providing a highly clean microextraction for the determination of some anti‐inflammatory drugs as the model analytes in human urine and environmental matrices. This method is based upon the implementation of two consecutive emulsification liquid‐phase microextractions, which are separated by a syringe filtration step. In this method, the organic extraction solvent (dihexyl ether) is dispersed into the aqueous sample solution (20 mL), and the resulting cloudy mixture is passed through a hydrophilic polytetrafluoroethylene syringe filter. By this action, the extraction phase containing the analytes and many interfering species that could be transferred into the organic phase is retained behind the hydrophilic membrane. The filter is then detached from the syringe and attached to another syringe containing an aqueous solution (pH 12.0, 150 μL), and by the in‐syringe dispersion of the organic phase into the aqueous phase, the analytes are selectively back‐extracted into the aqueous phase. The developed method is centrifuge‐free and very simple, and provides a high sample clean‐up in a few minutes. Under the optimized experimental conditions, the developed method provided a linearity in the range of 2.0–2000 ng/mL, a low limit of detection (0.5 ng/mL), and enrichment factors of 47–53.     

New approach applying a pet fish air pump in liquid‐phase microextraction for the determination of Sudan dyes in food samples by HPLC

A new approach applying a pet fish air pump is introduced to develop an extraction method, namely, air‐pump‐enhanced emulsion, followed by salt‐assisted emulsion breaking based on solidified floating organic drop microextraction for the extraction and preconcentration of Sudan I–IV before high‐performance liquid chromatography. The applicability of this method was successfully demonstrated by determination of these dyes in four chili products that include chili powder, chili oil, chili sauce, and chili paste. An enrichment factor of 62 was obtained only with a sample solution of 5 mL. A linear range of 0.5–2500 ng/mL was obtained with a limit of detection of 0.16–0.24 ng/mL and recovery of 90–110%. This method is superior to other liquid–liquid extraction methods, as is simple, rapid, environmental friendly, and its phase separation needs no centrifugation. It also needs no disperser solvent and requires less organic solvent, and satisfies the criteria to be called as a green extraction. Therefore, this facile extraction method can be successfully applied in the determination of Sudan dyes in food samples.     

Optimization of multiwalled carbon nanotubes reinforced hollow‐fiber solid–liquid‐phase microextraction for the determination of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in environmental water samples using experimental design

A novel design of hollow‐fiber liquid‐phase microextraction containing multiwalled carbon nanotubes as a solid sorbent, which is immobilized in the pore and lumen of hollow fiber by the sol–gel technique, was developed for the pre‐concentration and determination of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in environmental water samples. The proposed method utilized both solid‐ and liquid‐phase microextraction media. Parameters that affect the extraction of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons were optimized in two successive steps as follows. Firstly, a methodology based on a quarter factorial design was used to choose the significant variables. Then, these significant factors were optimized utilizing central composite design. Under the optimized condition (extraction time = 25 min, amount of multiwalled carbon nanotubes = 78 mg, sample volume = 8 mL, and desorption time = 5 min), the calibration curves showed high linearity (R ² = 0.99) in the range of 0.01–500 ng/mL and the limits of detection were in the range of 0.007–1.47 ng/mL. The obtained extraction recoveries for 10 ng/mL of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons standard solution were in the range of 85–92%. Replicating the experiment under these conditions five times gave relative standard deviations lower than 6%. Finally, the method was successfully applied for pre‐concentration and determination of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in environmental water samples.     

Solid‐phase extraction assisted dispersive liquid–liquid microextraction based on solidification of floating organic droplet to determine sildenafil and its analogues in dietary supplements

A novel analytical method for the simultaneous determination of the concentration of sildenafil and its five analogues in dietary supplements using solid‐phase extraction assisted reversed‐phase dispersive liquid–liquid microextraction based on solidification of floating organic droplet combined with ion‐pairing liquid chromatography with an ultraviolet detector was developed. Parameters that affect extraction efficiency were systematically investigated, including the type of solid‐phase extraction cartridge, pH of the extraction environment, and the type and volume of extraction and dispersive solvent. The method linearity was in the range of 5.0–100 ng/mL for sildenafil, homosildenafil, udenafil, benzylsildenafil, and thiosildenafil and 10–100 ng/mL for acetildenafil. The coefficients of determination were ≥0.996 for all regression curves. The sensitivity values expressed as limit of detection were between 2.5 and 7.5 ng/mL. Furthermore, intraday and interday precisions expressed as relative standard deviations were less than 5.7 and 9.9%, respectively. The proposed method was successfully applied to the analysis of sildenafil and its five analogues in complex dietary supplements.     

Simple determination of some antidementia drugs in wastewater and human plasma samples by tandem dispersive liquid–liquid microextraction followed by high‐performance liquid chromatography

In this work, a simple method, namely, tandem dispersive liquid–liquid microextraction, with a high sample clean‐up is applied for the rapid determination of the antidementia drugs rivastigmine and donepezil in wastewater and human plasma samples. This method, which is based on two consecutive dispersive microextractions, is performed in 7 min. In the method, using a fast back‐extraction step, the applicability of the dispersive microextraction methods in complicated matrixes is conveniently improved. This step can be performed in less than 2 min, and very simple tools are required for this purpose. To achieve the best extraction efficiency, optimization of the variables affecting the method was carried out. Under the optimized experimental conditions, the relative standard deviations for the method were in the range of 6.9–8.7%. The calibration curves were obtained in the range of 2–1100 ng/mL with good correlation coefficients, higher than 0.995, and the limits of detection ranged between 0.5 and 1.0 ng/mL.     

Zeolitic imidazolate framework‐8 reinforced hollow‐fiber liquid‐phase microextraction of free urinary biomarkers of whole grain intake followed by CE analysis

The whole grain intake is closely associated with human health. In this work, three‐phase dynamic hollow‐fiber liquid‐phase microextraction reinforced with 0.10 mg/mL 30 nm zeolitic imidazolate framework‐8 nanoparticles was introduced for purification and enrichment of free urinary metabolite biomarkers of whole grain intake. Eight milliliters of HCl (pH 3.00) and 8 μL of 300 mM NaOH solutions were used as the donor and acceptor phases, respectively. The temperature and stirring rate were kept at 25℃ and 500 rpm, and the extraction time was 40 min. The extraction process required no further desorption, and the resultant extract was directly used for electrophoretic analysis without derivatization. Based on the synergistic effect of hollow‐fiber liquid‐phase microextraction and the electrophoretic stacking, the enrichment factors of 3,5‐dihydroxybenzoic acid and 3‐(3,5‐dihydroxyphenyl)‐1‐propionic acid reached 1018–1034 times, and their limits of detection achieved 0.33–0.67 ng/mL (S/N = 3) in urine matrix. The developed method has been successfully used for urine analysis, and the sample recovery data were in the range of 97.0–103.5%. This developed method provided an attractive alternative for the determination of urinary metabolite biomarkers of whole grain intake due to its sensitive, fast, low‐cost, and environmental‐friendly features.     

Graphene/dodecanol floating solidification microextraction for the preconcentration of trace levels of cinnamic acid derivatives in traditional Chinese medicines

A novel graphene/dodecanol floating solidification microextraction followed by HPLC with diode‐array detection has been developed to extract trace levels of four cinnamic acid derivatives in traditional Chinese medicines. Several parameters affecting the performance were investigated and optimized. Also, possible microextraction mechanism was analyzed and discussed. Under the optimum conditions (amount of graphene in dodecanol: 0.25 mg/mL; volume of extraction phase: 70 μL; pH of sample phase: 3; extraction time: 30 min; stirring rate: 1000 rpm; salt amount: 26.5% NaCl; volume of sample phase: 10 mL, and without dispersant addition), the enrichment factors of four cinnamic acid derivatives ranged from 26 to 112, the linear ranges were 1.0 × 10⁻²–10.0 μg/mL for caffeic acid, 1.3 × 10⁻³–1.9 μg/mL for p‐hydroxycinnamic acid, 2.8 × 10⁻³–4.1 μg/mL for ferulic acid, and 2.7 × 10⁻³–4.1 μg/mL for cinnamic acid, with r ² ≥ 0.9993. The detection limits were found to be in the range of 0.1–1.0 ng/mL, and satisfactory recoveries (92.5–111.2%) and precisions (RSDs 1.1–9.5%) were also achieved. The results showed that the approach is simple, effective and sensitive for the preconcentration and determination of trace levels of cinnamic acid derivatives in Chinese medicines. The proposed method was compared with conventional dodecanol floating solidification microextraction and other extraction methods.     

Ionic‐liquid‐based dispersive liquid–liquid microextraction coupled with high‐performance liquid chromatography for the forensic determination of methamphetamine in human urine

Determination of methamphetamine in forensic laboratories is a major issue due to its health and social harm. In this work, a simple, sensitive, and environmentally friendly method based on ionic liquid dispersive liquid–liquid microextraction combined with high‐performance liquid chromatography was established for the analysis of methamphetamine in human urine. 1‐Octyl‐3‐methylimidazolium hexafluorophosphate with the help of disperser solvent methanol was selected as the microextraction solvent in this process. Various parameters affecting the extraction efficiency of methamphetamine were investigated systemically, including extraction solvent and its volume, disperser solvent and its volume, sample pH, extraction temperature, and centrifugal time. Under the optimized conditions, a good linearity was obtained in the concentration range of 10–1000 ng/mL with determination coefficient >0.99. The limit of detection calculated at a signal‐to‐noise ratio of 3 was 1.7 ng/mL and the relative standard deviations for six replicate experiments at three different concentration levels of 100, 500, and 1000 ng/mL were 6.4, 4.5, and 4.7%, respectively. Meanwhile, up to 220‐fold enrichment factor of methamphetamine and acceptable extraction recovery (>80.0%) could be achieved. Furthermore, this method has been successfully employed for the sensitive detection of a urine sample from a suspected drug abuser.     

Phytic acid induced three‐dimensional graphene for the enrichment of phthalate esters from bottled water and sports beverage samples

A three‐dimensional graphene was synthesized through a hydrothermal reaction of graphene oxide with phytic acid. The microstructure and morphology of the phytic acid induced three‐dimensional graphene were investigated by nitrogen adsorption–desorption isotherms, scanning electron microscopy, and transmission electron microscopy. With a large surface area and three‐dimensional structure, the graphene was used as the solid‐phase extraction adsorbent for the extraction of phthalate esters from bottled water and sports beverage samples before high‐performance liquid chromatographic analysis. The results indicated that the graphene was efficient for the solid‐phase extraction of phthalate esters. The limits of detection (S/N = 3) of the method for the analytes were 0.02–0.03 ng/mL for the water samples and 0.03–0.15 ng/mL for the sports beverage sample. The limits of quantitation (S/N = 9) for the analytes were 0.06–0.09 ng/mL for water samples and 0.09–0.45 ng/mL for sports beverage sample. The calibration curves for the phthalate esters by the method had a good linearity from 0.1 to 80.0 ng/mL with correlation coefficients larger than 0.9997. The recoveries of the analytes for the method fell in the range of 86.7–116.2% with the relative standard deviations between 1.5 and 6.8%.     

Application of liquid–liquid microextraction for the effective separation and simultaneous determination of 11 pharmaceuticals in wastewater samples using high‐performance liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry

A dispersive liquid–liquid microextraction method for the simultaneous determination of 11 pharmaceuticals has been developed. The method is based on a microextraction procedure applied to wastewater samples from different regions of Hungary followed by high‐performance liquid chromatography with mass spectrometry. The effect of the nature of the extractant, dispersive solvent, different additives, and extraction time were examined on the extraction efficiently of the dispersive liquid–liquid microextraction method. Under optimal conditions, the linearity for determining the pharmaceuticals was in the range of 1–500 ng/mL, with the correlation coefficients ranging from 0.9922 to 0.9995. The limits of detection and limits of quantification were in the range of 0.31–6.65 and 0.93–22.18 ng/mL, respectively.     

Preparation of metal‐organic framework UiO‐66‐incorporated polymer monolith for the extraction of trace levels of fungicides in environmental water and soil samples

A zirconium terephthalate metal‐organic framework‐incorporated poly(N‐vinylcarbazole‐co‐divinylbenzene) monolith was fabricated in a capillary by a thermal polymerization method. The optimized monolith had a homogeneous structure, good permeability, and stability. The monolith could be used for the effective enrichment of fungicides through π‐π interactions, electrostatic forces, and hydrogen bonds. The potential factors that affect the extraction efficiency, including ionic strength, solution pH, sample volume, and eluent volume, were investigated in detail. The monolith‐based in‐tube solid‐phase microextraction coupled with ultra‐high‐performance liquid chromatography and high‐resolution Orbitrap mass spectrometry was performed for the analysis of five fungicides (pyrimethanil, tebuconazole, hexaconazole, diniconazole, and flutriafol) in environmental samples. Under the optimized conditions, the linear ranges were 0.005–5 ng/mL for pyrimethanil, 0.01–5 ng/mL for flutriafol, and 0.05–5 ng/mL for other fungicides, respectively, with coefficients of determination ≥0.9911. The limits of detection were 1.34–14.8 ng/L. The columns showed good repeatability (relative standard deviations ≤9.3%, n = 5) and desirable column‐to‐column reproducibility (relative standard deviations 5.3–9.4%, n = 5). The proposed method was successfully applied for the simultaneous detection of five fungicides in water and soil samples, with recoveries of 90.4–97.5 and 84.0–95.3%, respectively.     

Application of ionic‐liquid‐supported magnetic dispersive solid‐phase microextraction for the determination of acaricides in fruit juice samples

In this study, ionic liquid (IL) supported magnetic dispersive solid‐phase microextraction was developed and a systematic investigation was conducted on imidazolium ILs for their extraction performance. This nano‐based pretreatment procedure was then applied for the determination of acaricides in fruit juice samples for the first time. A feature of this technique is that the commonly laborious chemical modification of magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) was skillfully circumvented. Because of the combination of ILs, dispersive liquid–liquid microextraction, and dispersive MNP solid‐phase microextraction, the extraction efficiency can be significantly improved using commercial MNPs. Parameters of the extraction method were investigated by one‐factor‐at‐a‐time approach. The optimal experimental conditions were as follows: emulsification for 2 min by sonication with the addition of 50 μL [C₆MIM][NTf₂] in the dispersive liquid–liquid microextraction step and vortexing for 90 s after adding 40 mg spherical barium ferrite nanoparticles (20 nm). The desorption time was 2 min. Good linearity (0.5–500 ng/mL) and detection limits within the range of 0.05–0.53 ng/mL were achieved. The application of the proposed method was demonstrated by the analysis of real fruit juice samples, in which recoveries between 85.1 and 99.6% were obtained.     

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

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

Three‐phase hollow fiber liquid‐phase microextraction based on a magnetofluid for the analysis of aristolochic acids in plasma by high‐performance liquid chromatography

A new and fast sample preparation technique based on three‐phase hollow fiber liquid‐phase microextraction with a magnetofluid was developed and successfully used to quantify the aristolochic acid I (AA‐I) and AA‐II in plasma after oral administration of Caulis akebiae extract. Analysis was accomplished by reversed‐phase high‐performance liquid chromatography with fluorescence detection. Parameters that affect the hollow fiber liquid‐phase microextraction processes, such as the solvent type, pH of donor and acceptor phases, content of magnetofluid, salt content, stirring speed, hollow fiber length, extraction temperature, and extraction time, were investigated and optimized. Under the optimized conditions, the preconcentration factors for AA‐I and AA‐II were >627. The calibration curve for two AAs was linear in the range of 0.1–10 ng/mL with the correlation coefficients >0.9997. The intraday and interday precision was <5.71% and the LODs were 11 pg/mL for AA‐I and 13 pg/mL for AA‐II (S/N = 3). The separation and determination of the two AAs in plasma after oral administration of C. akebiae extract were completed by the validated method.     

Solid acids assisted matrix solid‐phase dispersion microextraction of alkaloids by capillary electrophoresis coupled with quadrupole time‐of‐flight mass spectrometry

The quantification of three alkaloids is important because quantitative study is a means of assessing the reliability of the experimental method, and three alkaloids of peimine, peiminine, and peimisine are main active ingredients in Chinese Pharmacopoeia 2015. An effective method based on the matrix solid‐phase dispersion microextraction was developed for the extraction of alkaloid compounds in Fritillariae Thunbergii Bulbus. Target analytes were analyzed by capillary electrophoresis coupled with quadrupole time‐of‐flight mass spectrometry. The optimized experimental condition was that 50 mg Fritillariae Thunbergii Bulbus was blended homogeneously with 10 mg citric acid for 5 min. Two hundred microliters of water acidized by 1 mol/L hydrochloric acid (pH = 4.5) was selected to elute tested alkaloids. The results demonstrated that the investigated method had low limits of detection (1.32–1.59 ng/mL), good recoveries (86.63–98.12%), and reproducibility (relative standard deviations of peak areas < 0.87%). The proposed matrix solid‐phase dispersion microextraction coupled with capillary electrophoresis combined with quadrupole time‐of‐flight mass spectrometry was successfully applied for the extraction of alkaloids in plants.     

Improved in‐tube electro‐membrane extraction followed by high‐performance liquid chromatography for simple and selective determination of ionic compounds: Optimization by central composite design

In this work, an efficient sample clean‐up method, named in‐tube electro‐membrane extraction, is modified to resolve the formation of bubbles in the extraction process. This modified method is applied for the extraction of two model analytes including tartrazine and sunset yellow from food samples. The method is based on the electro‐kinetic migration of ionized compounds by the application of an electrical potential difference, and on this basis the analytes under investigation, as anionic compounds, simply migrate from the donor phase and concentrate in the acceptor phase. A thin polypropylene sheet placed in the tube acts as a support for the membrane solvent, and it separates 30 μL of the aqueous acceptor from 1.2 mL of the aqueous donor. This setup can be used to solve the problem of extracting highly hydrophilic analytes. Response surface methodology is used for optimization of the experimental parameters so that under the optimized conditions, the method provides a good linearity in the range of 50–1000 ng/mL, low limits of detection (15–25 ng/mL), good extraction repeatabilities (relative standard deviations below 8.1%, n  = 5), and high extraction recoveries (54–76%).     

An in‐needle solid‐phase microextraction device packed with etched steel wires for polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons enrichment in water samples

A novel, low‐cost and effective in‐needle solid‐phase microextraction device was developed for the enrichment of trace polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in water samples. The in‐needle solid‐phase microextraction device could be easily assembled by inserting hydrofluoric acid‐etched wires, which were used as adsorbent, into a 22‐gauge needle tube within spring supporters. Compared with the commercial solid‐phase microextraction fiber, the developed device has higher efficiency for the extraction of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons with four to six rings from water samples using the optimized extraction conditions. With gas chromatography equipped with a flame ionization detector, the limits of detection for the polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons with four to six rings ranged from 0.0020 to 0.0067 ng/mL. The relative standard deviations for one needle and needle‐to‐needle extractions were in the range of 5.2–9.9% (n = 5) and 3.4–12.3% (n = 5), respectively. The spiked recoveries of the polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in tap water samples ranged from 73.2 to 95.4%. This in‐needle solid‐phase microextraction device could be a good field sampler because of the low sample loss over a long storage time.     

Microextraction by packed sorbent followed by ultra high performance liquid chromatography for the fast extraction and determination of six antidepressants in urine

The growing use of antidepressants in recent years has led to their increasing presence in forensic analyses. In this work, microextraction by packed sorbent followed by ultra‐performance liquid chromatography with photodiode array detection provided a fast method for determining the antidepressants mirtazapine, venlafaxine, escitalopram, fluoxetine, fluvoxamine, and sertraline in human urine. The microextraction conditions (viz., type of sorbent, number of draw–eject extraction cycles or strokes, sample volume and pH, and type and volume of washing solution and eluent) were optimized by using an experimental design. The ensuing analytical method was validated in terms of linearity (25–1000 ng/mL urine), limit of detection (lower than 7.1 ng/mL), limit of quantification (25 ng/mL), precision (4.7–15.1% as relative standard deviation), and accuracy (80.4–126.1% as mean recovery for four replicate determinations). The proposed method allowed the six target antidepressants to be determined at concentrations from therapeutic to toxic levels. The application to small volumes (300 μL) of urine afforded fast extraction of the analytes and provided results on a par with those of existing clinical and forensic alternatives.