Molecularly imprinted polymer coated on stainless steel fiber for solid-phase microextraction of chloroacetanilide herbicides in soybean and corn

A molecularly imprinted polymer (MIP) with metolachlor as template was firstly coated on stainless steel fiber through chemical bonding strategy to solve the fragility problem of silica fiber substrate for solid-phase microextraction. The surface pretreatment of stainless steel fiber and the polymerization conditions were investigated systematically to enhance the preparation feasibility and MIP coating performance, and then a porous and highly cross-linked MIP coating with 14.8-μm thickness was obtained with over 200 times re-usability which was supported by non-fragile stainless steel fiber adoption. The MIP coating possessed specific selectivities to metolachlor, its metabolites and other chloroacetanilide herbicides with the factors of 1.1–4.6. Good extraction capacities of metolachlor, propisochlor and butachlor were found with MIP coating under quick adsorption and desorption kinetics, and the detection limits of 3.0, 9.6 and 38 μg L⁻¹ were achieved, respectively. Moreover, the MIP-coated stainless steel fiber was evaluated for trace metolachlor, propisochlor and butachlor extraction in the spiked soybean and corn samples, and the enrichment factors of 54–60, 27–31 and 15–20 were obtained, respectively.     

Novel metal‐ion‐mediated,complex‐imprinted solid‐phase microextraction fiber for the selective recognition of thiabendazole in citrus and soil samples

A novel metal‐ion‐mediated complex‐imprinted‐polymer‐coated solid‐phase microextraction (SPME) fiber used to specifically recognize thiabendazole (TBZ) in citrus and soil samples was developed. The complex‐imprinted polymer was introduced as a novel SPME coating using a “complex template” constructed with Cu(II) ions and TBZ. The recognition and enrichment properties of the coating in water were significantly improved based on the metal ion coordination interaction rather than relying on hydrogen bonding interactions that are commonly applied for the molecularly imprinting technique. Several parameters controlling the extraction performance of the complex‐imprinted‐polymer‐coated fiber were investigated including extraction solvent, pH value, extraction time, metal ion species, etc. Furthermore, SPME coupled with HPLC was developed for detection of TBZ, and the methods resulted in good linearity in the range of 10.0–150.0 ng/mL with a detection limit of 2.4 ng/mL. The proposed method was applied to the analysis of TBZ in spiked soil, orange, and lemon with recoveries of 80.0–86.9% and RSDs of 2.0–8.1%. This research provides an example to prepare a desirable water‐compatible and specifically selective SPME coating to extract target molecules from aqueous samples by introducing metal ions as the mediator.     

Preparation and evaluation of propranolol molecularly imprinted solid-phase microextraction fiber for trace analysis of β-blockers in urine and plasma samples

An improved multiple co-polymerization technique was developed to prepare a novel molecularly imprinted polymer (MIP)-coated solid-phase microextraction (SPME) fiber with propranolol as template. Investigation was performed for the characteristics and application of the fibers. The MIP coating was highly crosslinked and porous with the average thickness of only 25.0 μm. Consequently, the adsorption and desorption of β-blockers within the MIP coating could be achieved quickly. The specific selectivity was discovered with the MIP-coated fibers to propranolol and its structural analogues such as atenolol, pindolol, and alprenolol. In contrast, only non-specific adsorption could be shown with the non-imprinted polymer (NIP)-coated fibers, and the extraction efficiencies of propranolol and pindolol with the MIP-coated fibers were higher markedly than that with the commercial SPME fibers. A MIP-coated SPME coupled with high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) method for propranolol and pindolol determination was developed under the optimized extraction conditions. Linear ranges for propranolol and pindolol were 20–1000 μg L⁻¹ and detection limits were 3.8 and 6.9 μg L⁻¹, respectively. Propranolol and pindolol in the spiked human urine and plasma samples, extracted with organic solvent firstly, could be simultaneous monitored with satisfactory recoveries through this method.     

Preparation of temperature sensitive molecularly imprinted polymer for solid-phase microextraction coatings on stainless steel fiber to measure ofloxacin

A kind of new temperature sensitive molecularly imprinted polymer (MIP) with ofloxacin (OFL) as template was prepared for the coating of solid phase microextraction (SPME). Dopamine was self-polymerized on stainless steel fiber (SSF) as the SPME support followed by silanization. Then MIP was synthesized as SPME coating on the modified SSF in a capillary, with N-isopropyl acrylamide as temperature sensitive monomer and methacrylic acid as functional monomer. The synthesis could be well repeated with multiple capillaries putting in the same reaction solution. The obtained MIP fiber was evaluated in detail with different techniques and various adsorption experiments. At last the MIP fiber was used to extract the OFL in milk. Satisfied recoveries between 89.7 and 103.4% were obtained with the limit of quantification (LOQ_LC) of 0.04 μg mL⁻¹ by the method of SPME coupled with high performance of liquid chromatography (HPLC).     

配位印迹聚合物在分析化学中的应用进展

分子印迹聚合物(MIP)是一种对目标分子(模板分子)具有选择性结合能力的聚合物.配位印迹聚合物(CIP)是基于金属离子与功能单体、模板分子间配位作用的分子印迹聚合物,既沿袭了MIP的优点,又具有适用于极性环境等优点,在食品、环境、生物、医药等领域目标物的识别中有良好的应用潜力.本文介绍了CIP的原理和特点,综述了CIP在分析化学中的应用进展,展望了CIP的发展前景.     

Liquid–liquid–solid microextraction based on membrane-protected molecularly imprinted polymer fiber for trace analysis of triazines in complex aqueous samples

A novel liquid–liquid–solid microextraction (LLSME) technique based on porous membrane-protected molecularly imprinted polymer (MIP)-coated silica fiber has been developed. In this technique, a MIP-coated silica fiber was protected with a length of porous polypropylene hollow fiber membrane which was filled with water-immiscible organic phase. Subsequently the whole device was immersed into aqueous sample for extraction. The LLSME technique was a three-phase microextraction approach. The target analytes were firstly extracted from the aqueous sample through a few microliters of organic phase residing in the pores and lumen of the membrane, and were then finally extracted onto the MIP fiber. A terbutylazine MIP-coated silica fiber was adopted as an example to demonstrate the feasibility of the novel LLSME method. The extraction parameters such as the organic solvent, extraction and desorption time were investigated. Comparison of the LLSME technique was made with molecularly imprinted polymer based solid-phase microextraction (MIP-SPME) and hollow fiber membrane-based liquid-phase microextraction (HF-LPME), respectively. The LLSME, integrating the advantages of high selectivity of MIP-SPME and enrichment and sample cleanup capability of the HF-LPME into a single device, is a promising sample preparation method for complex samples. Moreover, the new technique overcomes the problem of disturbance from water when the MIP-SPME fiber was exposed directly to aqueous samples. Applications to analysis of triazine herbicides in sludge water, watermelon, milk and urine samples were evaluated to access the real sample application of the LLSME method by coupling with high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). Low limits of detection (0.006–0.02 μg L⁻¹), satisfactory recoveries and good repeatability for real sample (RSD 1.2–9.6%, n = 5) were obtained. The method was demonstrated to be a fast, selective and sensitive pretreatment method for trace analysis of triazines in complex aqueous samples.     

Preparation and Characterization of Prometryn Molecularly Imprinted Solid‐Phase Microextraction Fibers

Abstract

A novel reproducible solid‐phase microextraction (SPME) coating was prepared on the surface of silanized silica fibers by molecularly imprinted polymerization using prometryn as template molecule. The structure and extraction performance of molecularly imprinted polymer (MIP) coating was studied with the scanning electron microscope and high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). Specific selectivity was found with the prometryn MIP‐coated fiber to prometry and its structural analogues such as atrazine, simetryn, terbutylazin, ametryn, propazine and terbutryn. In contrast, these triazines could not be selectively extracted by the non‐imprinted polymer fiber or commercial polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS), polydimethylsiloxane/divinylbenzene (PDMS/DVB), polyacrylate (PA) fibers.     

Monolithic molecularly imprinted polymer for sulfamethoxazole and molecular recognition properties in aqueous mobile phase

A monolithic molecularly imprinted polymer (monolithic MIP) for sulfamethoxazole (SMO) was prepared by in situ polymerization method as the HPLC stationary phase. By optimizing the polymerization conditions, the monolithic MIP showed highly specific recognition for the template SMO over its three structurally related analogs. As shown by SEM and the pore size distribution profile, the resultant MIP monolith showed a main pore diameter of 594 nm and a large specific surface area of 124 m² g⁻¹, this allowed the mobile phase to flow through the column with low backpressure. Furthermore, the recognition abilities of the monolithic MIP in aqueous and organic media were studied. The results exhibited that the monolithic MIP possessed excellent recognition ability in aqueous media. Hydrophobic interactions, in addition to shape recognition, were the dominant effect for recognition in the mobile phase with high water content. Moreover, the binding sites and the dissociation constant were also determined by frontal chromatography as 122 μmol g⁻¹ and 1.88 × 10⁻⁵ mol L⁻¹, respectively, which demonstrated that the obtained SMO-MIP monolith had a high binding capacity and strong affinity ability to the template molecule. Furthermore, the resultant SMO-MIP monolith was used as HPLC column directly to determine the SMO contents in three kinds of pharmaceutical tablets with the optimized aqueous mobile phase.     

Creatinine sensor based on a molecularly imprinted polymer-modified hanging mercury drop electrode

Molecularly imprinted polymers (MIP) have been elucidated to work as artificial receptors. In our present study, a MIP was applied as a molecular recognition element to a chemical sensor. We have constructed a creatinine sensor based on a MIP layer selective for creatinine and its differential pulse, cathodic stripping voltammetric detection (DPCSV) on a hanging mercury drop electrode (HMDE). The creatinine sensor was fabricated by the drop coating of dimethylformamide (DMF) solution of a creatinine-imprinted polymer onto the surface of HMDE. The modified-HMDE, preanodised in neutral medium at +0.4 V versus Ag/AgCl for 120 s, exhibited a marked enhancement in DPCSV current in comparison to the less anodised (≤+0.3 V) HMDE. The creatinine was preconcentrated and instantaneously oxidised in MIP layer giving DPCSV response in the concentration range of 0.0025-84.0 μg mL⁻¹ [detection limit (3σ) 1.49 ng mL⁻¹]. The sensor was found to be highly selective for creatinine without any response of interferents viz., NaCl, urea, creatine, glucose, phenylalanine, tyrosine, histidine and cytosine. The non-imprinted polymer-modified electrode did not show linear response to creatinine. The imprinting factor as high as 9.4 implies that the imprinted polymer exclusively acts as a recognition element of creatinine sensor. The proposed procedure can be used to determine creatinine in human blood serum without any preliminary treatment of the sample in an accurate, rapid and simple way.     

Investigation of ractopamine molecularly imprinted stir bar sorptive extraction and its application for trace analysis of β2-agonists in complex samples

In this paper, a novel molecularly imprinted polymer (MIP) coated stir bar with ractopamine as template by glass capillary filling with magnetic core as substrate was prepared reproducibly. The ractopamine MIP coating was homogeneous and porous with the average thickness of 20.6 μm. The extraction apparatus for the stir bar was improved to avoid coating loss. The MIP-coated stir bar showed better extraction capacity and good selectivity than that of non-imprinted polymer (NIP) coated stir bar to ractopamine and its analogues. The extraction capacities of ractopamine, isoxsuprine, clenbuterol and fenoterol for MIP-coated stir bar were 3.3, 3.1, 2.8 and 2.4 times as much as that of the NIP coated stir bar, respectively. The MIP-coated stir bars could be used at least 40 times without apparent damage and kept in dried air for 8 months without reduce of extraction ability. A method for the determination of β₂-agonists in complex samples by MIP-coated stir bar sorptive extraction coupled with high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) was developed. The linear ranges were 0.5–40 μg/L for ractopamine and 1.0–40 μg/L for isoxsuprine and clenbuterol. The detection limits were within the range of 0.10–0.21 μg/L. The method was successfully applied to the analysis of β₂-agonists in spiked pork, liver and feed samples with the recoveries of 83.7–92.3%, 80.5–90.2% and 73.6–86.2%, respectively. The RSDs was within 2.9–8.1%. The method is very suitable for the determination of trace β₂-agonists in pork, liver and feed samples.     

Imprinted polymer particles for selenium uptake: synthesis, characterization and analytical applications

This work reports the preparation of molecularly imprinted polymer (MIP) particles for selective extraction and determination of selenium ions from aqueous media. Polymerization was achieved in a glass tube containing SeO₂, o-phenylenediamine, 2-vinylpyridine (VP), ethyleneglycoldimethacrylate (EDMA), 2,2′-azobisisobutyronitrile (AIBN). The polymer block obtained was ground and sieved (55-75 μm) and the Se-o-phenylenediamine complex was removed from polymer particles by leaching with 2 M of HCl, which leaves a cavity in the polymer particles. The polymer particles both prior to and after leaching have been characterized by IR and thermogravimetric (TG) studies. The effect of different parameters, such as pH, extraction time, type and least amount of eluent for elution of complex from polymer were evaluated. Extraction efficiencies >99% were obtained by elution of the polymers with 15 mL of methanol-acetonitrile mixture (1:2, v/v). The limit of detection of the proposed method followed by hydride generation atomic absorption spectroscopy (HG-AAS) was found to be 3.3 μg L⁻¹ and a dynamic linear range (DLR) of 10-200 μg L⁻¹ was obtained. The relative standard deviations (R.S.D.s) at 30.0 μg L⁻¹ of Se were below than 8.1%. The influence of various cationic interferences on percent recovery of complex was studied. The method was applied to the recovery and determination of selenium in different real samples.     

Molecularly imprinted stir bar sorptive extraction coupled with high performance liquid chromatography for trace analysis of sulfa drugs in complex samples

A novel sulfamethazine molecularly imprinted polymer (MIP)-coated stir bar for sorptive extraction of eight sulfa drugs from biological samples was prepared. The MIP-coating was about 20 μm thickness with the relative standard deviation (RSD) of 6.7% (n = 10). It was characterized by scanning electron microscope, infrared spectrum, thermogravimetric analysis, and solvent-resistant investigation, respectively. The non-imprinted polymer (NIP)-coating was used for comparison. The adsorptive capacity and selectivity of MIP-coating were evaluated in detail. The MIP-coating showed higher adsorption capability and selectivity than the NIP-coating. The saturated adsorption amount of the MIP-coating was 4.6 times over that of the NIP-coating in toluene. Sulfamethazine could be detected after the MIP-coated stir bar sorptive extraction even at a low concentration of 0.2 μg/L. The MIP-coating also exhibited selective adsorption ability to analogues of the template. A method for the determination of eight sulfa drugs in biological samples by MIP coated stir bar sorptive extraction coupled with high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) was developed. The extraction conditions, including extraction solvent, extraction time, desorption solvent, desorption time and stirring speed, were optimized. The linear ranges were 1.0-100 μg/L and 2.0-100 μg/L for eight sulfonamides, respectively. The detection limits were within the range of 0.20-0.72 μg/L. The method was successfully applied to simultaneous multi-residue analysis of eight sulfonamides in spiked pork, liver and chicken samples with the satisfactory recoveries.     

Synthesis of imprinted polymer material with palladium ion nanopores and its analytical application

Ion imprinted polymer (IIP) materials with nanopores were prepared by formation of ternary complex of palladium imprint ion with dimethylglyoxime (DMG) and 4-vinylpyridine (VP, functional monomer) and thermally copolymerizing with styrene (crosslinking monomer) and divinylbenzene (cross linker) and 2,2′-azobisisobutyronitrile as initiator. The synthesis was carried out with cyclohexanol as porogen and subsequently leached with 50% (v/v) HCl to obtain leached IIP particles. These leached IIP particles can now pick up palladium ions from dilute aqueous solutions. The optimal acidity for quantitative enrichment was 0.2-0.4N HCl and eluted completely by stirring for 15 min with 2×10 ml of 50% (v/v) HCl. The palladium ion imprinting polymer gave 100 times higher distribution ratio than ion recognition (blank) polymer (IRP). Further, percent extraction, distribution ratio and selectivity coefficients of palladium and other selected inorganic ions using IRP and IIP particles were determined and compared. Five replicate determinations of 50 μg of palladium in 1 l of solution gave a mean absorbance of 0.200 with a relative standard deviation of 2.12%. The detection limit corresponding to three times the standard deviation of the blank was 2.5 μg of palladium/l.     

Synthesis and application of a T-2 toxin imprinted polymer

The synthesis of a T-2 toxin imprinted polymer and its application in food analysis are reported for the first time. A molecularly imprinted polymer (MIP) for the selective recognition of T-2 toxin (T-2) was synthesized by bulk polymerization. Methacrylamide and ethyleneglycol dimethacrylate were applied as functional monomer and cross-linker, respectively. Molecularly imprinted solid-phase extraction (MISPE) procedures were optimized for further application in the analysis of T-2. Scatchard plot analysis revealed that two classes of imprinted binding sites were formed in the imprinted polymer. The dissociation constant (K_D) of the higher affinity binding sites was 7.0 μmol/l, while the K_D of the lower affinity binding sites was 54.7 μmol/l. The performance of the MIP throughout the clean-up of spiked maize, barley and oat sample extracts was compared with the results obtained when using non-imprinted polymer, OASIS HLB^® and immunoaffinity columns (IAC). Depending on the food matrix and the spiked concentration, recoveries after MISPE and non-imprinted solid-phase extraction varied respectively from 60% to 73% and from 21% to 57%. Recoveries obtained after clean-up using OASIS HLB^® and IAC were in the range of 74–104% and 60–85%, respectively. Although highest recoveries were obtained with OASIS HLB^® sorbents, the designed MIP and the IAC were superior regarding selectivity, cross-reactivity, matrix effect, limits of detection (LOD) and limits of quantification (LOQ). Depending on the matrix, LOD after MISPE ranged from 0.4 μg/kg to 0.6 μg/kg and LOQ from 1.4 μg/kg to 1.9 μg/kg. LOD and LOQ after OASIS HLB^® clean-up varied from 0.9 μg/kg to 3.5 μg/kg and from 3.1 μg/kg to 11.7 μg/kg, respectively. The LOD and LOQ values obtained with IAC were in the range of 0.3–2.3 μg/kg and 1.0–7.7 μg/kg, respectively. Analysis of 39 naturally contaminated samples (maize, barley and oat) by liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry revealed that the MIP could be an excellent alternative for clean-up of contaminated food samples.     

Selective adenosine-5'-monophosphate uptake by water-compatible molecularly imprinted polymer

Molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs) were prepared for adenosine-5′-monophosphate (AMP), a substrate of AMP-activated protein kinase. The template molecule was formed by the vinylphenylboronate diester of adenosine on which 5′-free hydroxide was protected by tert-butyldimethylsilyl group in order to mimic the steric hindrance of the phosphate moiety of AMP. Molecular imprinting was performed by complexing acrylamide and the template in a highly cross-linked polymer. MIPs were tested in batch experiments with aqueous samples of nucleotides and a number of parameters were investigated. The use of tetrabutylammonium hydroxide (TBAH) was necessary to obtain a rebinding of nucleotides on MIP. The adsorption of AMP was optimal in 5 mM ammonium acetate buffer solution pH 9.5 for 30 min, with 30 mM of TBAH. The imprinted polymer was selective for AMP towards others nucleotides or deoxi analogues.     

Supported liquid membrane-modified piezoelectric flow sensor with molecularly imprinted polymer for the determination of vanillin in food samples

An on-line supported liquid membrane-piezoelectric detection system, based on a molecularly imprinted polymer (SLM-QCM-MIP) manifold, has been developed and applied to the quantitative determination of vanillin in food samples. The analyte is extracted from a donor phase into the hydrophobic membrane, and then back extracted into a second aqueous phase used as the acceptor solution. The quantification of vanillin was performed using a quartz crystal microbalance modified with a molecularly imprinted polymer (MIP). The method shows a linear range between 5 and 65 μM, with a relative standard deviation of ±4.8% (at 5 μM). The method was validated by analysing food samples and comparing the results with an SLM based on spectrophotometric quantification.     

Uniform molecularly imprinted microspheres and nanoparticles prepared by precipitation polymerization: the control of particle size suitable for different analytical applications

Molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs) are being increasingly used as selective adsorbents in different analytical applications. To satisfy the different application purposes, MIPs with well controlled physical forms in different size ranges are highly desirable. For examples, MIP nanoparticles are very suitable to be used to develop binding assays and for microfluidic separations, whereas MIP beads with diameter of 1.5-3 μm can be more appropriate to use in new analytical liquid chromatography systems. Previous studies have demonstrated that imprinted microspheres and nanoparticles can be synthesized using a simple precipitation polymerization method. Despite that the synthetic method is straightforward, the final particle size obtained has been difficult to adjust for a given template. In this work, we initiated to study new synthetic conditions to obtain MIP beads with controllable size in the nano- to micro-meter range, using racemic propranolol as a model template. Varying the composition of the cross-linking monomer allowed the particle size of the MIP beads to be altered in the range of 130 nm to 2.4 μm, whereas the favorable binding property of the imprinted beads remained intact. The chiral recognition sites were further characterized with equilibrium binding analysis using tritium-labeled (S)-propranolol as a tracer. In general, the imprinted sites displayed a high chiral selectivity: the apparent affinity of the (S)-imprinted sites for (S)-propranolol was 20 times that of for (R)-propranolol. Compared to previously reported irregular particles, the chiral selectivity of competitive radioligand binding assays developed from the present imprinted beads has been increased by six to seven folds in an optimized aqueous solvent.     

Colorimetric test-systems for creatinine detection based on composite molecularly imprinted polymer membranes

An easy-to-use colorimetric test-system for the efficient detection of creatinine in aqueous samples was developed. The test-system is based on composite molecularly imprinted polymer (MIP) membranes with artificial receptor sites capable of creatinine recognition. A thin MIP layer was created on the surface of microfiltration polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) membranes using method of photo-initiated grafting polymerization. The MIP layer was obtained by co-polymerization of a functional monomer (e.g. 2-acrylamido-2-methyl-1-propanesulfonic acid, itaconic acid or methacrylic acid) with N, N′-methylenebisacrylamide as a cross-linker. The choice of the functional monomer was based on the results of computational modeling. The creatinine-selective composite MIP membranes were used for measuring creatinine in aqueous samples. Creatinine molecules were selectively adsorbed by the MIP membranes and quantified using color reaction with picrates. The intensity of MIP membranes staining was proportional to creatinine concentration in an analyzed sample. The colorimetric test-system based on the composite MIP membranes was characterized with 0.25 mM detection limit and 0.25–2.5 mM linear dynamic range. Storage stability of the MIP membranes was estimated as at least 1 year at room temperature. As compared to the traditional methods of creatinine detection the developed test-system is characterized by simplicity of operation, small size and low cost.     

Molecularly imprinted polymer coated solid-phase microextraction fiber prepared by surface reversible addition–fragmentation chain transfer polymerization for monitoring of Sudan dyes in chilli tomato sauce and chilli pepper samples

Surface reversible addition-fragmentation chain transfer (RAFT) polymerization method was firstly applied to the preparation of molecularly imprinted polymer (MIP) coated silicon solid-phase microextraction (SPME) fibers. With Sudan I as template, an ultra-thin MIP coating with about 0.55-μm thickness was obtained with homogeneous structure and controlled composition, due to the controllable radical growing and chain propagation in surface RAFT polymerization. The MIP-coated fibers were found with enhanced selectivity coefficients (3.0–6.5) to Sudan I–IV dyes in contrast with those reported in our previous work. Furthermore, the ultra-thin thickness of MIP coating was helpful to the effective elution of template and fast adsorption/desorption kinetics, so only about 18 min was needed for MIP-coated SPME operation. The detection limits of 21–55 ng L⁻¹ were achieved for four Sudan dyes, when MIP-coated SPME was coupled with liquid chromatography (LC) and mass spectrometry (MS) detection. The MIP-coated SPME–LC–MS/MS method was tested for the monitoring of ultra trace Sudan dyes in spiked chilli tomato sauce and chilli pepper samples, and high enrichment effect, remarkable matrix peaks-removing capability, and consequent high sensitivities were achieved to four Sudan dyes.     

Synthesis and application of a carbamazepine-imprinted polymer for solid-phase extraction from urine and wastewater

A molecularly imprinted polymer (MIP) designed to enable the selective extraction of carbamazepine (CBZ) from effluent wastewater and urine samples has been synthesised using a non-covalent molecular imprinting approach. The MIP was evaluated chromatographically in the first instance and its affinity for CBZ also confirmed by solid-phase extraction (SPE). The optimal conditions for SPE consisted of conditioning of the cartridge using acidified water purified from a Milli-Q system, loading of the sample under basic aqueous conditions, clean-up using acetonitrile and elution with methanol. The attractive molecular recognition properties of the MIP gave rise to good CBZ recoveries (80%) when 100 mL of effluent water spiked with 1 μg L⁻¹ was percolated through the polymer. For urine samples, 2 mL samples spiked with 2.5 μg L⁻¹ CBZ were extracted with a recovery of 65%. For urine, the linear range was 0.05-24 mg L⁻¹, the limit of detection was 25 μg L⁻¹ and precision, expressed as relative standard deviation at 0.5 mg L⁻¹ (n = 3), was 3.1% and 12.6% for repeatability and reproducibility between days, respectively.