Application of counter-current chromatography as a new pretreatment method for the determination of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in environmental water

Counter‐current chromatography (CCC) was investigated as a new sample pretreatment method for the determination of trace polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in water environmental samples. The experiment was performed with a non‐aqueous binary two‐phase solvent system composed of n‐heptane and acetonitrile. The CCC column was first filled with the upper stationary phase, and then a large volume of water sample was pumped into the column while the CCC column was rotated at 1600 rpm. Finally, the trace amounts of PAHs extracted and enriched in the stationary phase were eluted out by the lower mobile phase and determined by gas chromatography–flame ionization detector (GC‐FID) or gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC‐MS). The enrichment and cleanup of PAHs can be fulfilled online by this method with high recoveries (84.1–103.2%) and good reproducibility (RSDs: 4.9–12.2%) for 16 EPA PAHs under the optimized CCC pretreatment conditions. This method has been successfully applied to determine PAHs in lake water where 8 PAHs were detected in the concentration of 40.9–89.9 ng/L. The present method is extremely suitable for the preparation of large volume of environmental water sample for the determination of trace amounts of organic pollutants including PAHs as studied in this paper.     

Optimization of microwave-assisted extraction of hydrocarbons in marine sediments: comparison with the Soxhlet extraction method

Microwave energy was applied to extract polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and linear aliphatic hydrocarbons (LAHs) from marine sediments. The influence of experimental conditions, such as different extracting solvents and mixtures, microwave power, irradiation time and number of samples extracted per run has been tested using real marine sediment samples; volume of the solvent, sample quantity and matrix effects were also evaluated. The yield of extracted compounds obtained by microwave irradiation was compared with that obtained using the traditional Soxhlet extraction. The best results were achieved with a mixture of acetone and hexane (1:1), and recoveries ranged from 92 to 106%. The extraction time is dependent on the irradiation power and the number of samples extracted per run, so when the irradiation power was set to 500 W, the extraction times varied from 6 min for 1 sample to 18 min for 8 samples. Analytical determinations were carried out by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) with an ultraviolet-visible photodiode-array detector for PAHs and gas chromatography (GC) using a FID detector for LAHs. To test the accuracy of the microwave-assisted extraction (MAE) technique, optimized methodology was applied to the analysis of standard reference material (SRM 1941), obtaining acceptable results.     

Optimization of microwave-assisted extraction of hydrocarbons in marine sediments: comparison with the Soxhlet extraction method

Microwave energy was applied to extract polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and linear aliphatic hydrocarbons (LAHs) from marine sediments. The influence of experimental conditions, such as different extracting solvents and mixtures, microwave power, irradiation time and number of samples extracted per run has been tested using real marine sediment samples; volume of the solvent, sample quantity and matrix effects were also evaluated. The yield of extracted compounds obtained by microwave irradiation was compared with that obtained using the traditional Soxhlet extraction. The best results were achieved with a mixture of acetone and hexane ¶(1?:?1), and recoveries ranged from 92 to 106%. The extraction time is dependent on the irradiation power and the number of samples extracted per run, so when the irradiation power was set to 500 W, the extraction times varied from 6 min for 1 sample to 18 min for 8 samples. Analytical determinations were carried out by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) with an ultraviolet-visible photodiode-array detector for PAHs and gas chromatography (GC) using a FID detector for LAHs. To test the accuracy of the microwave-assisted extraction (MAE) technique, optimized methodology was applied to the analysis of standard reference material (SRM 1941), obtaining acceptable results.     

凝固漂浮有机液滴-分散液液微萃取结合高效液相色谱法同时测定地表水中多环芳烃和酞酸酯

多环芳烃和酞酸酯是国际公认的优控污染物,因此准确快速地测定水中多环芳烃和酞酸酯非常重要。凝固漂浮有机液滴-分散液液微萃取（DLLME-SFO）是一种简便、快速、环境友好、灵敏度高的样品前处理技术。采用DLLME-SFO同时测定地表水中多环芳烃和酞酸酯的分析方法鲜有报道。该文采用凝固漂浮有机液滴-分散液液微萃取富集技术,结合高效液相色谱紫外/荧光法,建立了同时测定地表水中16种多环芳烃和6种酞酸酯的分析方法。考察优化了影响萃取效率的主要因素,包括萃取剂的种类和用量、分散剂的种类和用量、萃取时间和离子强度等。优化后的萃取实验条件为：5.0 mL水样,10 μL十二醇为萃取溶剂,500 μL甲醇为分散溶剂,涡旋振荡时间2 min,氯化钠用量0.2 g。目标化合物经多环芳烃专用色谱柱（SUPELCOSIL^TM LC-PAH,150 mm×4.6 mm,5 μm）结合乙腈-水梯度洗脱分离,16种多环芳烃除苊烯外采用荧光检测,苊烯和6种酞酸酯采用紫外检测,外标法定量。结果表明,22种目标化合物的基质加标回收率为60.2%~113.5%,相对标准偏差为1.9%~14.3%;多环芳烃和酞酸酯的检出限分别为0.002~0.07 μg/L和0.2~2.2 μg/L;多环芳烃和酞酸酯的定量限分别为0.006~0.23 μg/L和0.8~7.4 μg/L。该方法简便、快速,环境友好,灵敏度高,可用于地表水中多环芳烃和酞酸酯的快速分析检测。     

Headspace solvent microextraction and gas chromatographic determination of some polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in water samples

Headspace solvent microextraction (HSME) was shown to be an efficient preconcentration method for extraction of some polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) from aqueous sample solutions. A microdrop of 1-butanol (as extracting solvent) containing biphenyl (as internal standard) was used in this investigation. Extraction occurred by suspending a 3 μl drop of 1-butanol from the tip of a microsyringe fixed above the surface of solution in a sealed vial. After extraction for a preset time, the microdrop was retracted back into the syringe and injected directly into a GC injection port. The effects of nature of extracting solvent, microdrop and sample temperatures, stirring rate, microdrop and sample volumes, ionic strength and extraction time on HSME efficiency were investigated and optimized. Finally, the enrichment factor, dynamic linear range (DLR), limit of detection (LOD) and precision of the method were evaluated by water samples spiked with PAHs. The optimized procedure was successfully applied to the extraction and determination of PAHs in different water samples.     

Coupling of a Modified In-Tube Solid Phase Microextraction Technique with High Perfor- mance Liquid Chromatography-Fluorescence Detection for the Ultra-Trace Determination of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons in Water Samples

A modified in-tube solid phase microextraction (SPME) technique in conjunction with a high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) was developed for the trace determination of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in water samples. The extraction device contained a regular HPLC syringe, replacing the metallic needle by two concentric fused silica capillary tubes. The capillary tubes were coated with polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) as the sorbent and were attached to the syringe by a homemade interface made from polyether ether ketone (PEEK). The sorption of analytes was achieved by frequent withdrawing and ejecting the water sample from/into a vial via the capillary tubes. For the desorption step, an aliquot of organic solvent was withdrawn and subsequently injected directly into the HPLC system. Limits of detection for the elected PAHs were between 0.001 and 0.006 g L^–1 with a RSD of 2.6–6.3%.     

Determination of Airborne Nicotine by Automatic Two-Stage Thermal Desorption Gas Chromatography

Abstract

An automated two-stage thermal desorption technique has been developed for the determination of airborne nicotine. Pumped samples are collected on adsorbent tubes and analysed by capillary gas chromatography using flame ionisation detection. The preconcentration effect of the adsorbent compared to solvent trapping or solvent desorption methods permits shorter sampling times and precludes the need for a selective detector.

By use of a basic program all exposure volumes and component details are entered into a method run table and after analysis exposure levels are automatically calculated and printed in report form by the data handling system. Consequently a large throughput samples may be analysed automatically and efficiently with minimal analyst involvement or sample preparation.

The technique described was originally developed to sample airborne nicotine in workplace environments where tobacco is processed. Comparison between this technique and the standard NIOSH method for airborne nicotine is discussed.     

Sensitive determination of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in water samples by HPLC coupled with SPE based on graphene functionalized with triethoxysilane

The graphene functionalized with (3‐aminopropyl) triethoxysilane was synthesized by a simple hydrothermal reaction and applied as SPE sorbents to extract trace polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) from environmental water samples. These sorbents possess high adsorption capacity and extraction efficiency due to strong adsorption ability of carbon materials and large specific surface area of nanoparticles, and only 10 mg of sorbents are required to extract PAHs from 100 mL water samples. Several condition parameters, such as eluent and its volume, adsorbent amount, sample volume, sample pH, and sample flow rate, were optimized to achieve good sensitivity and precision. Under the optimized extraction conditions, the method showed good linearity in the range of 1–100 μg/L, repeatability of the extraction (the RSDs were between 1.8 and 2.9%, n = 6), and satisfactory detection limits of 0.029–0.1 μg/L. The recoveries of PAHs spiked in environmental water samples ranged from 84.6 to 109.5%. All these results demonstrated that this new SPE technique was a viable alternative to conventional enrichment techniques for the extraction and analysis of PAHs in complex samples.     

On-column injection onto capillary columns. Part 2: Study of sampling conditions; practical recommendations

During one year continuous use of on-column injection, the typical advantages described in our first report have fully been confirmed. In addition the analysis of large sample volumes has proved promising. Only minor modifications have been applied to the on-column injector device. Broad evidence has been gathered showing that full separation efficiency of the capillary columns after on-column injection is attained only when cold trapping or the solvent effect, as band shortening mechanisms, are working- While, under the conditions of on-column injection, cold trapping is less efficient than with other injection techniques, the opposite holds true for the solvent effect. Compared with splitless injection, the danger of excessive solvent condensation on the column is increased. A working rule is presented for establishing the optimal chromatographic conditions for handling large sample volumes while ensuring full separation efficiency yet avoiding harm to the column.     

On-Line Solid Phase Extraction–Gas Chromatography–Cryotrapping–Infrared Spectrometry for the Trace-Level Determination of Microcontaminants in Aqueous Samples

A large-volume on-column GC–cryotrapping–IR system was developed for injections of up to 100 μl of organic extracts. Considerable reduction of the solvent-and-water background and enhanced analyte detectability was achieved by using an open-split interface between the GC column and the IR detector and improving the leak-tightness of the system. The system was combined with solid-phase extraction to yield on-line SPE–GC–IR. With this set-up, sample volumes of only 20 ml sufficed to detect, and identify, microcontaminants in tap and surface water at the 0.1–1 μg/L level. Detection limits were on the order of 15 ng/L for tap water when using appropriate functional-group chromatograms. Or, in other words, SPE–GC–IR is a suitable technique for the screening of environmental water samples for functional groups, i.e. classes of compounds, of interest.     

Continuous liquid-liquid extraction combined on-line with capillary gas chromatography-atomic emission detection for environmental analysis

The on-line coupling of a liquid-liquid extraction system with capillary gas chromatography using atomic emission detection (GC-AED) has been studied. The required large volumes of about 100 μl of an iso-octane solution can be introduced into the GC-AED system by using the AED solvent vent and a solvent vapor exit in front of the capillary analytical column. Test solutions containing several pesticides were detected using the carbon, chlorine, nitrogen and sulfur channels. Analyte detectability (in concentration units) was improved significantly and low concentractions of the test compounds could be determined (1–5 ng/ml). Aqueous samples were on-line extracted and analyzed. The precision of the large-volume injection itself as well as the total extraction-GC-AED system was satisfactory (RSD of ca. 2 and 4%, respectively). As a real-life application, several ground water samples were screened.     

Pressurised liquid extraction of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons from contaminated soils

The reliability and efficiency of the pressurised liquid extraction technique (PLE) for extracting polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) from contaminated soil has been investigated. Experimental design was used to study the influence of seven extraction variables (sample load, solvents used, solvent ratios, pressure, temperature, extraction time, and rinse volume). The results show that large sample loads in combination with small solvent volumes may result in low extraction efficiency. They also indicate that the recovery of low-molecular-mass PAHs is reduced by low extraction temperatures. The exact settings of the other variables are, however, less significant for the extraction efficiency. Repeated extractions at optimised settings of the tested variables show that PLE is an exhaustive extraction technique that generally results in high yields. In addition, extraction of a certified reference material (CRM 103-100) revealed that the method is both accurate and precise. Another finding was that adding the internal standard on top of the soil in the extraction cell causes considerable over-estimation of the concentrations when large samples are extracted with small solvent volumes. This is because the PLE-cell resembles a chromatographic column, so compounds added to the top of the soil layer have a longer distance to travel through the soil compared to the average distance of the native compounds, which are distributed evenly throughout the column. We therefore recommend that the internal standard should be added to the extract immediately after the extraction or, alternatively, carefully mixed with the sample prior to extraction.     

Large volume sample introduction using temperature programmable injectors: Implications of liner diameter

Temperature programmable injectors with liner diameters ranging from 1 to 3.5 mm are evaluated and compared for solvent split injection of large volumes in capillary gas chromatography. The liner dimensions determine whether a large sample volume can be introduced rapidly or has to be introduced in a speed controlled manner. The effect of the injection technique used on the recovery of n-alkanes is evaluated. Furthermore the influence of the liner diameter on the occurrence of thermal degradation during splitless transfer to the analytical column is studied. Guidelines are given for the selection of the PTV liner internal diameter best suited for specific applications.     

基于低共熔溶剂的整体式萃取头的制备及其对湖水中3种多环芳烃的固相微萃取（英文）

采用氯化胆碱-乙二醇低共熔溶剂(DES)作致孔剂,制备了聚(甲基丙烯酸丁酯-乙二醇二甲基丙烯酸酯)[poly(BMA-EDMA)]固相微萃取头,并与超高效液相色谱法(UPLC)结合测定了湖水中的3种多环芳烃(PAHs)。实验与不使用DES致孔剂的固相微萃取头和商品化聚二甲硅氧烷(PDMS)萃取头进行比较,含DES的poly(BMA-EDMA)固相微萃取头的富集效果最好。系统考察了萃取条件(萃取时间、萃取溶剂、解吸时间、解吸溶剂及离子强度)对水样中多环芳烃萃取效率的影响。在最优的实验条件下,3种多环芳烃类化合物(萘、联苯、菲)的线性范围为0.1~6.0 mg/L(r≥0.990 3),检出限为2.1~4.9μg/L,回收率为86.4%~111.3%,相对标准偏差(RSD,n=6)为11.2%~15.1%。该法操作简便,稳定性好,成本低,适用于实际环境水样中多环芳烃类化合物的测定。     

Combination of off-line solid-phase extraction and on-column sample stacking for sensitive determination of parabens and p-hydroxybenzoic acid in waters by non-aqueous capillary electrophoresis

For the first time, a procedure based on solid-phase extraction (SPE) for the simultaneous extraction of a group of parabens (methyl, ethyl, propyl, butyl and benzyl p-hydroxybenzoates) and p-hydroxybenzoic acid (PHBA), from environmental water samples has been developed. Analysis of the extracts was performed by non-aqueous capillary electrophoresis (NACE) coupled with diode array detection (DAD), using large-volume sample stacking (LVSS) based on the electroosmotic flow pump as on-column preconcentration technique. Several water samples, such as tap, river, and wastewater samples, were analyzed using both SPE-NACE-DAD and SPE-LVSS-NACE-DAD methods. It has been observed that in addition to SPE parameters such as sorbent material, sample pH, breakthrough volume, addition of an organic solvent and elution solvent, also sample characteristics, such as organic matter content, have influence on SPE extraction yields, especially in the case of PHBA. The presence of PHBA and some parabens was detected at trace levels in surface water samples. Concentrations up to 8.4 ng mL⁻¹ were found in raw wastewater, with the highest levels corresponding to methylparaben, propylparaben, and their main degradation product, PHBA.     

Ultrasonic-Assisted Drop-to-Drop Solvent Microextraction in a Capillary Tube for Analyzing Trace Benzene, Toluene, Xylene in One Drop of a Water Sample

A novel analytical technique termed ultrasonic-assisted drop-to-drop solvent microextraction (USA-DDSME) in a capillary tube was developed to determine trace benzene, toluene, xylene in one drop of a water sample, which was combined with gas chromatography–flame ionization detection (GC–FID). The advantages of this method are rapidity, convenience, ease of operation, simplicity of the device, and extremely little solvent and sample consumption. Extraction conditions including the type of extraction solvent, the volume of extraction solvent, the volume of sample, extraction time and effect of salt concentration were optimized. The best optimum parameters for extraction were achieved with 3 μL of extraction solvent. Chloroform was divided into four equal divisions in 20 μL water sample (without salt addition) in a capillary tube and ultrasonicated for 10 min, centrifugated at 2,500 rpm for 5 min to let the extraction solvent settle at the bottom of the capillary tube, then 1 μL of the separated extraction solvent was injected into the GC–FID for analysis. Linearity of the method was determined by analyzing spiked water samples over a concentration range of 0.1–50 μg mL^?1. Correspondingly, the LOD values were 0.01 μg mL^?1. All calibration curves were found to have good linearity with correlation coefficients (r ²) > 0.995. The precision (RSD) of the system, measured by six repeated determinations of the analytes at 1 μg mL^?1 were in the range of 1.6–3.5%.     

Development of an on-column enrichment technique based on C18-functionalized magnetic silica nanoparticles for the determination of lidocaine in rat plasma by high performance liquid chromatography

In this study, a novel on-column enrichment technique filled with C(18)-functionalized magnetic silica nanoparticles was successfully developed for the determination of lidocaine in rat plasma by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). The synthesized Fe(3)O(4)@SiO(2)-C(18) nanoparticles were locally packed into the capillary by the application of magnets. Lidocaine in the sample solutions pumped into the capillary tube could be easily adsorbed by Fe(3)O(4)@SiO(2)-C(18) through hydrophobic interaction by the interior C(18) groups, and eluted by acetonitrile solution. Different extraction conditions were investigated. Method validations including linear range, quantification limit, detection limit, precision, accuracy and recovery were also studied. The results showed that the proposed method based on on-column enrichment by Fe(3)O(4)@SiO(2)-C(18) was a novel, little solvent and efficient approach for the determination of lidocaine in the complex plasma samples.     

Ultrapreconcentration and determination of organophosphorus pesticides in water by solid‐phase extraction combined with dispersive liquid–liquid microextraction and high‐performance liquid chromatography

Solid‐phase extraction coupled with dispersive liquid–liquid microextraction was developed as an ultra‐preconcentration method for the determination of four organophosphorus pesticides (isocarbophos, parathion‐methyl, triazophos and fenitrothion) in water samples. The analytes considered in this study were rapidly extracted and concentrated from large volumes of aqueous solutions (100 mL) by solid‐phase extraction coupled with dispersive liquid–liquid microextraction and then analyzed using high performance liquid chromatography. Experimental variables including type and volume of elution solvent, volume and flow rate of sample solution, salt concentration, type and volume of extraction solvent and sample solution pH were investigated for the solid‐phase extraction coupled with dispersive liquid–liquid microextraction with these analytes, and the best results were obtained using methanol as eluent and ethylene chloride as extraction solvent. Under the optimal conditions, an exhaustive extraction for four analytes (recoveries >86.9%) and high enrichment factors were attained. The limits of detection were between 0.021 and 0.15 μg/L. The relative standard deviations for 0.5 μg/L of the pesticides in water were in the range of 1.9–6.8% (n = 5). The proposed strategy offered the advantages of simple operation, high enrichment factor and sensitivity and was successfully applied to the determination of four organophosphorus pesticides in water samples.     

Loop-type interface for concurrent solvent evaporation in coupled HPLC-GC. Analysis of raspberry ketone in a raspberry sauce as an example

Presently, two coupling techniques are used for directly introducing HPLC fractions into capillary GC: The retention gap technique (involving negligible or partially concurrent solvent evaporation) and fully concurrent solvent evaporation. While the former involves use of a conventional on-column injector, it is now proposed that concurrent solvent evaporation technique be carried out using a switching valve with a built-in sample loop. The technique is based on the concept that the carrier gas pushes the HPLC eluent into the GC capillary against its own vapor pressure, generated by a column temperature slightly exceeding the solvent boiling point at the carrier gas inlet pressure. Further improvement of the technique is achieved by flow regulation of the carrier gas (accelerated solvent evaporation) and backflushing of the sample valve (improved solvent peak shape). Concurrent solvent evaporation using the loop-type interface is easy to handle, allows transfer of very large volumes of HPLC eluent (exceeding 1 ml), and renders solvent evaporation very efficient, allowing discharge of the vapors of 1 ml of solvent through the column within 5–10 min.