Homogeneous liquid-liquid extraction of uranium(VI) using tri-n-octylphosphine oxide.

A simple and efficient method for the selective separation and preconcentration of uranium(VI) using homogeneous liquid-liquid extraction was developed. Tri-n-octylphosphine oxide (TOPO) and tri-n-butylphosphate (TBP) were investigated as complexing ligands, and perfluorooctanoate ion (PFOA-) was applied as a phase separator agent under strongly acidic conditions. Under the optimal conditions ([PFOA-] = 1.7 x 10(-3) M, [TOPO] = 5.4 x 10(-4) M, [HNO3] = 0.3 M, [acetone] = 3.2% v/v) 10 microg of uranium in 40 ml aqueous phase could be extracted quantitatively into 8 microl of the sedimented phase. The maximum concentration factor was 5000-fold. However, an effort for the quantitative extraction using TBP was inefficient and the percent recovery was at most 56.7. The influence of the type and concentration of acid solution, optimum amount of the ligand, type and volume of the organic solvent, concentration of PFOA, volume of the aqueous sample and effect of different diverse ions on the extraction and determination of uranium(VI) were investigated. The proposed method was applied to the extraction and determination of uranium(VI) in natural water samples.     

Homogeneous liquid-liquid extraction method for the selective separation and preconcentration of ultra trace molybdenum

A new simple and efficient homogeneous liquid-liquid extraction method for the selective separation and preconcentration of molybdenyl ions was developed. α-Benzoin oxime (ABO) was investigated as a complexing ligand, and perfluorooctanoate ion (PFOA⁻) was applied as a phase-separator agent under strongly acidic conditions. Under the optimal conditions ([ABO] = 2.1 × 10⁻³ M, [PFOA⁻] = 1.8 × 10⁻² M, [HNO₃] = 1.7 M, [acetone] = 11.8% (v/v)), 10 μg of molybdenum in 5 ml aqueous phase could be extracted quantitatively into 40 μl of the sedimented phase. The maximum concentration factor was 125-fold. Thiocyanate was applied as a chromogenic reagent for the direct spectrophotometric determination of molybdenum in the sedimented phase. The reproducibility of the proposed method is at the most 2.4%.The influence of the type and concentration of acid solution, the concentration of ABO, the type and volume of the water-miscible organic solvent, the concentration of PFOA⁻, and the effect of different diverse ions on the extraction and determination of molybdenum(VI) were investigated. The proposed method was applied to the extraction and determination of molybdenum(VI) in natural water, Spinach, and Lucerne samples. A satisfactory agreement exists between the results obtained by the proposed method and those reported by GF-AAS.     

Reversed-phase dispersive liquid-liquid microextraction with central composite design optimization for preconcentration and HPLC determination of oleuropein

A reversed-phase dispersive liquid-liquid microextraction (RP-DLLME) method was developed for the preconcentration and direct HPLC determination of oleuropein in olive's processing wastewater (OPW) and olive leaves extracts. In conventional DLLME, the sedimented phase is a micro-drop of a chlorinated organic solvent that is not compatible with RP-HPLC. Therefore, solvent evaporation and reconstitution with an appropriate solvent is often required. In RP-DLLME, this problem was overcome by overturning the solvent polarity in the ordinary DLLME and replacing the organic solvent with water. A central composite chemometrics design was used for multivariate optimization of the effects of five different parameters influencing the extraction efficiency of the method. In the optimized conditions, a mixture of 1.4 mL of an ethyl acetate extract of sample and 40 μL water (pH 5.0) was rapidly injected into 5.3 mL of cyclohexane. After centrifugation of the formed cloudy mixture, a micro-drop of the aqueous phase was sedimented at the conical bottom of the centrifuge tube. This phase, that contained the preconcentrated and partially purified analyte, was directly injected into an RP-HPLC column for analysis. A mean extraction recovery of 102.5 (±4.5) % with enrichment factors exceeding 38, was obtained for five replicated analysis. The detection limit of the method (3σ) for OE was 0.02 μg L⁻¹ for OPW and 2 × 10⁻³ mg kg⁻¹ for olive leaves samples. The results showed that, RP-DLLME is a promising technique which is quick, easily operated and can be directly coupled to HPLC.     

Chemical Characterization of Cultivated Tagetes minuta L. by Use of Ultrasound-Assisted Head Space SPME and GC–MS

Ultrasound-assisted headspace solid-phase microextraction (UA-HS-SPME) coupled to gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC–MS) has been used for analysis of volatile compounds in dry Tagetes minuta L. The highest extraction efficiency was achieved with a 100-μm polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) fiber. Different experimental conditions, for example, type of fiber coating, sonication time, extraction time and temperature, and desorption time, were investigated. Thirty compounds were identified by use of this UA-HS-SPME–GC–MS method. Comparison of the method with the commonly used hydrodistillation (HD) method showed that the proposed method is simpler, needs much less sample, requires shorter extraction time and lower temperature, has high trapping ability, and extracts more volatile and thermally sensitive compounds. The major components identified by use of the method were e-ocimenone (10.3%), cis-β-ocimene (4.8%), α-terpinolene (8.4%), trans-caryophyllene (19.7%), germacrene-d (10.0%), and camphor (3.6%).     

Magnetic Field-Assisted Direct Immersion SPME of Endogenous Aldehydes in Human Urine

Direct immersion solid-phase microextraction (DI-SPME) is an effective microsampling strategy for polar and ionic species in aqueous media. Nevertheless, the fiber coating is in direct contact with sample solution and affected by its conditions. To compensate this limitation and to improve the extraction efficiency, a magnetic fiber coating was prepared and employed for DI-SPME sampling under the enhancing effect of a magnetic field. Magnetic iron oxide core–shell silica nanoparticles were synthesized and embedded in polypyrrole using an in situ electropolymerization method along with simultaneous coating on the surface of a platinized stainless-steel fiber. It was then applied for magnetic-assisted DI-SPME (MA-DI-SPME) sampling of endogenous aldehydes in human urine. Sample solution pH, the magnetic field intensity, ionic strength and extraction time were evaluated as the important affecting variables. Limits of detection were obtained 0.01–0.1 ng mL^?1; the calibration graphs were linear over the range of 0.1–10000 ng mL^?1. The inter-fiber (fiber-to-fiber) reproducibility was found to be 10.7–12.5%. Matrix effect from urine samples was not observed at concentration levels of 0.2, 2, and 8 µg mL^?1. The results showed that magnetic field increased the efficiency of DI-SPME method about two to four times. The developed strategy was successfully applied for the extraction and quantification of hexanal and heptanal (as the most important aldehyde biomarkers) in urine samples.

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Evaluation of polypyrrole/silver/polyethylene glycol nanocomposite sorbent for electroenhanced direct-immersion solid-phase microextraction of carvacrol and thymol from medicinal plants

The unique features of nanostructured polypyrrole, conductivity enhancement effect of silver nanoparticles and high polar adsorptivity of polyethylene glycol were merged into polypyrrole/silver/polyethylene glycol (PPy/Ag/PEG) nanocomposite. It was synthesized and simultaneously coated on the surface of a stainless-steel fiber using an amended electropolymerization procedure. Before coating, the fiber substrate was made porous and sticky by allocating platinum dots on the surface of the stainless-steel fiber using the electrophoretic method. The prepared fiber was applied for the extraction of carvacrol and thymol (the most important antioxidants in medicinal plants) through an electroenhanced direct-immersion solid-phase microextraction (EE-DI-SPME) sampling strategy, followed by GC-FID quantification. To achieve the best efficiency, the effectual experimental variables including pH of sample solution, applied voltage, extraction temperature and time, stirring rate, and ionic strength were investigated. Under the optimal experimental conditions, the calibration curves were linear over the range of 0.5–30 µg mL^?1 for thymol and 0.01–30 µg mL^?1 for carvacrol. The detection limits (3S_b) and relative standard deviation (RSD%, n?=?6) were obtained to be 0.15, 0.003 µg mL^?1 and 10.2, 8.7% for thymol and carvacrol, respectively. The results demonstrated the priority of the proposed fiber compared with polypyrrole and polyacrylate fibers, in terms of extraction efficiency, durability and stability. The developed method was successfully employed for the analysis of thymol and carvacrol in medicinal plants.     

New cold-fiber headspace solid-phase microextraction device for quantitative extraction of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in sediment

A new automated headspace solid-phase microextraction (HS-SPME) sampling device was developed, with the capability of heating the sample matrix and simultaneously cooling the fiber coating. The device was evaluated for the quantitative extraction of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) from solid matrices. The proposed device improves the efficiency of the release of analytes from the matrix, facilitates the mass transfer into the headspace and significantly increases the partition coefficients of the analytes, by creating a temperature gap between the cold-fiber (CF) coating and the hot headspace. The reliability and applicability of previously reported cold-fiber devices are significantly enhanced by this improvement. In addition, it can be easily adopted for full automation of extraction, enrichment and introduction of different samples using commercially available autosampling devices. Sand samples spiked with PAHs were used as solid matrices and the effect of different experimental parameters were studied, including the extraction temperature, extraction time, moisture content, and the effect of sonication and modifier under optimal experimental conditions, linear calibration curves were obtained in the range of 0.0009-1000 ng/g, with regression coefficients higher than 0.99 and detection limits that ranged from 0.3 to 3 pg/g. Reproducible, precise and high throughput extraction, monitoring and quantification of PAHs were achieved with the automated cold-fiber headspace solid-phase microextraction (CF-HS-SPME) device coupled to GC-flame ionization detection. Determination of PAHs in certified reference sediments using the proposed approach exhibited acceptable agreement with the standard values.     

Selective homogeneous liquid-liquid extraction and preconcentration of copper(II) into a micro droplet using a benzo-substituted macrocyclic diamide, and its determination by electrothermal atomic absorption spectrometry

A fast and reliable method was developed for the selective separation and preconcentration of Cu²⁺ ions using homogeneous liquid-liquid extraction using a novel benzo-substituted macrocyclic diamide, 5,6,7,8,9,10-hexahydro-2H-1,13,4,7,10-benzodioatriazacyclo-pentadecine-3,11(4 H,12 H)-dione, as a selective complexing agent. An aqueous solution of Zonyl FSA (FSA) was used as a phase-separation agent at pH 4.5. Electrothermal atomic absorption spectrometry was used for Cu²⁺ determination after preconcentration. The influences of pH, type and volume of the water-miscible organic solvent, concentration of FSA, concentration of the ligand and the effect of diverse ions were investigated. Factorial design and response surface methods were used for the optimization purposes. Under the optimum experimental conditions, 50 ng of Cu²⁺ in 5 mL aqueous sample could be extracted quantitatively into 76 µL of the sediment phase. The maximum preconcentration factor was 65. The calibration curve was linear in the concentration range 0.2 to 4.0 µg L^?1. The detection limit and relative standard deviation were 4 ng L^?1 and 4.6%, respectively. The method was successfully applied to the extraction and determination of Cu²⁺ in natural water samples.