Determination of Pyrethroid Pesticides in Environmental Waters Based on Magnetic Titanium Dioxide Nanoparticles Extraction Followed by HPLC Analysis

A simple and fast method based on magnetic separation for extraction of pyrethroid pesticides including beta-cyfluthrin, cyhalothrin and cyphenothrin from environmental water samples has been established. Magnetic titanium dioxide was used as sorbent, which was synthesized by coating TiO₂ on Fe₃O₄ in liquid-state co-precipitation method. The sorbent has been characterized by scanning electron microscopy and Fourier-transform infrared spectrometry, and the magnetic properties were investigated with physical property measurement system. Various parameters affecting the extraction efficiency were evaluated to achieve optimal condition and decrease ambiguous interactions. The analytes desorbed from the sorbent were detected by high performance liquid chromatography. Under the optimal condition, the linearity of the method is in the range of 25–2,500 ng L^?1. The detection limits and quantification limits of pyrethroid pesticides are in the range of 2.8–6.1 ng L^?1 and 9.3–20.3 ng L^?1, respectively. The relative standard deviations of intra- and inter-day tests ranging from 2.5 to 7.2 % and from 3.6 to 9.1 % were obtained. In all three spiked levels (25, 250 and 2,500 ng L^?1), the recoveries of pyrethroid pesticides were in the range of 84.5–94.1 %. The proposed method was successfully applied to determine pyrethroids in three water samples. Cyphenothrin was found in one river water near farmlands, and its concentration was 52 ng L^?1.     

Rapid Multi-Residue Analysis of Herbicides with Endocrine-Disrupting Properties in Environmental Water Samples Using Ultrasound-Assisted Dispersive Liquid–Liquid Microextraction and Gas Chromatography–Mass Spectrometry

A highly efficient ultrasonic-assisted dispersive liquid–liquid microextraction (UA-DLLME) procedure coupled with gas chromatography–mass spectrometry was developed for simultaneous analysis of multiclass herbicides with endocrine-disrupting properties in environmental water samples. The parameters affecting the method’s extraction efficiency, such as the types and volumes of the extractant and dispersive solvents, sample pH, and salt concentration, were systematically optimized by response surface methodology based on central composite design to achieve excellent recoveries for multiclass herbicides. The final UA-DLLME protocol involved 115.6 µL of chloroform (extractant), 861.5 µL of ethanol (dispersive solvent), 5.0 mL of water samples, pH 10.0, and 4.3% NaCl solution. The performance of the developed UA-DLLME was compared with that of conventional solid-phase extraction (SPE). Under optimal extraction conditions, UA-DLLME exhibited a higher enrichment factor and greater sensitivity than SPE, with limits of detection and limits of quantification of 0.004–0.024 and 0.013–0.079 µg L^?1, respectively, for seawater samples. The accuracy and precision of UA-DLLME were satisfactory for seawater samples spiked at three levels (0.2, 2.5, and 5.0 µg L^?1). Average recoveries ranging from 82.3 to 101.8% were achieved, with relative standard deviations lower than 12.8%. The proposed analytical method was successfully applied to the simultaneous determination and quantification of 17 herbicides in environmental river and seawater samples.     

Analysis of PAHs in Water and Fruit Juice Samples by DLLME Combined with LC-Fluorescence Detection

A simple, rapid and efficient method termed dispersive liquid–liquid microextraction combined with liquid chromatography-fluorescence detection, has been developed for the extraction and determination of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in water and fruit juice samples. Parameters such as the kind and volume of extraction solvent and dispersive solvent, extraction time and salt effect were optimized. Under optimum conditions, the enrichment factors ranged from 296 to 462. The linear range was 0.01–100 μg L^?1 and limits of detection were 0.001–0.01 μg L^?1. The relative standard deviations (RSDs, for 5 μg L^?1 of PAHs) varied from 1.0 to 11.5% (n = 3). The relative recoveries of PAHs from tap, river, well and sea water samples at spiking level of 5 μg L^?1 were 82.6–117.1, 74.9–113.9, 77.0–122.4 and 86.1–119.3%, respectively. The relative recoveries of PAHs from grape and apple juice samples at spiking levels of 2.5 and 5 μg L^?1 were 80.8–114.7 and 88.9–123.0%, respectively. It is concluded that the proposed method can be successfully applied for determination of PAHs in water and fruit juice samples.     

Response surface optimisation applied to a headspace-solid phase microextraction-gas chromatography-mass spectrometry method for the analysis of volatile organic compounds in water matrices

A new method for the simultaneous determination of 12 volatile organic compounds (trans-1,2-dichloroethene, 1,1,1-trichloroethane, benzene, 1,2-dichloroethane, trichloroethene, toluene, 1,1,2-trichloroethane, tetrachloroethene, ethylbenzene, m-, p-, o-xylene) in water samples by headspace solid phase microextraction (HS–SPME)–gas chromatography mass spectrometry (GC–MS) was described, using a 100?µm PDMS (polydimethylsiloxane) coated fibre. The response surface methodology was used to optimise the effect of the extraction time and temperature, as well as the influence of the salt addition in the extraction process. Optimal conditions were extraction time and temperature of 30?min and ?20°C, respectively, and NaCl concentration of 4?mol?L^?1. The detection limits were in the range of 1.1?×?10^?3–2.3?µg?L^?1 for the 12 volatile organic compounds (VOCs). Global uncertainties were in the range of 4–68%, when concentrations decrease from 250?µg?L^?1 down to the limits of quantification. The method proved adequate to detect VOCs in six river samples.     

Occurrence and distribution of selected pharmaceutical compounds on sewage-impacted section of River Acheloos,Western Greece

The occurrence of eight pharmaceutical compounds (PhCs), two metabolites and caffeine was investigated in River Acheloos, located in Western Greece, during a twelve-month monitoring period (March 2007–February 2008). Solid-phase extraction (SPE) was used for the extraction and pre-concentration of the target pollutants and gas chromatography mass spectrometry (GC–MS) for the detection and quantification. Recoveries were determined between 74.0–100.4% for distilled water and 72.6–95.1% for the river water, whereas the relative standard deviation was less than 9.4% for distilled water and 8% for the river water, respectively. The limits of detection ranged between 1–40 ng L^?1. Two pharmaceuticals (paracetamol and carbamazepine), caffeine and the metabolite (salicylic acid), have been detected in all the analysed samples. Maximum concentration levels determined in river samples reached 305 ng L^?1 recorded for paracetamol. The concentrations of target compounds were significantly higher in the samples collected at the sampling station situated after the wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) of Agrinio City compared to the samples collected in upper and lower parts of the river. Seasonal variations were attributed mainly to river flow variations and removal percentages by WWTP. Risk quotient method for median environmental concentrations revealed minimal to median risk with the exception of triclosan, ibuprofen and diclofenac, which presented high risk when maximum environmental concentrations were used.     

On-line Micro Solid-Phase Extraction of Clodinafop Propargyl from Water,Soil and Wheat Samples Using Electrospun Polyamide Nanofibers

An on-line extraction/determination set up was designed for micro solid-phase extraction of clodinafop propargyl from water, soil and wheat samples using electrospun polyamide nanofiber mats. The prepared mats were packed in a stainless steel tube which conveniently acted as a high-performance liquid chromatography injection loop. Influential parameters affecting the extraction efficiency were optimized using a distilled water sample fortified with 25 μg L^?1 of clodinafop propargyl. An enrichment factor of 440 was achieved for clodinafop propargyl indicating the ability of the whole procedure. Under the optimum conditions, the linearity for the analyte was in the range of 6–700 μg L^?1, while a limit of detection and limit of quantification of 2 and 6 μg L^?1 were achieved, respectively. The intra-day and inter-day RSD% at the concentration level of 25 μg L^?1 were 4.6 and 9.3 %, respectively. To investigate the matrix effect, the developed method was applied to the analysis of real water samples including paddy and river waters as well as the wheat and soil samples. The relative recovery percentages for the spiked samples were in the range of 63–95 %.     

Effects of ultrasonic irradiation and direct heating on extraction of priority pesticides from marine sediments

Priority pesticides (alachlor, aldrin, γ-chlordane, chlorfenvinphos, chlorpyrifos, dieldrin, 4,4′-DDT, 4,4′-DDD, 4,4′-DDE, α-endosulfan, β-endosulfan, endosulfan sulphate, endrin, α-HCH, β-HCH, γ-HCH, δ-HCH, HCB, HCBD, heptachlor, heptachlor epoxide, isodrin, methoxychlor, mirex, quintozene, terbuthylazine and trifluralin) are a group of toxic substances that are known by their persistency in the aquatic environment. Their screening in marine sediments may provide information on the sources and distribution in the water mass of fresh-transitional and coastal waters. This work proposes a rapid and reliable method to extract multi-residues of priority pesticides by ultrasounds irradiation from marine sediments. Multiple variables have been optimised: ultrasound frequency, sonication intensity, signal operation mode, time of extraction and water bath temperature. After sample clean-up and pre-concentration of the pesticides by stir bar sorptive extraction, the compounds were analysed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) using the selective ion monitoring acquisition mode (SIM). Better performance was found for ultrasonic-assisted extractions (UAE) at frequency of 35 kHz and an output intensity of 60% in a sweep mode of operation. An increase of water bath temperature to 80°C had a significant effect on the extraction of pesticides with high octanol-water partitioning coefficients (K_ow). Under optimal conditions, method detection limits (MDLs) and method quantification limits (MQLs) ranged from 0.3 to 4.4 ng g^?1 and from 0.8 to 14 ng g^?1, respectively. Recoveries between 70 and 111%, at high precision levels, were found at different types of marine sediments with a single extraction cycle. Method performance was in good agreement with quality control guidelines.     

A method for the analysis of sucralose with electrospray LC/MS in recipient waters and in sewage effluent subjected to tertiary treatment technologies

A method for the analysis of the artificial sweetener sucralose in sewage water and recipient water was developed. Extraction and clean up was performed with solid-phase extraction utilising Oasis HLB columns. Detection was made by liquid chromatography electrospray mass spectrometry (LC/MS). The triple-quadrupole mass spectrometer was operated in multiple reaction monitoring (MRM) mode. However, ‘pseudo MRM’ was used, a technique where the two quadrupoles monitor the same m/z. The sodium adduct of sucralose was used for quantification, since lower detection limits were obtained as compared to the sucralose quasi-molecular ion in negative ion mode. The two ions with highest intensity in the chlorine isotope pattern were monitored. The reduction of matrix effects with this approach is discussed. The method limit of quantification (MLOQ) for sewage water was 0.2?µg?L^?1, whereas for recipient water MLOQ was 0.02?µg?L^?1. The method was used to analyse effluent samples from an experimental sewage treatment plant (STP) to assess the efficiency of tertiary treatment techniques for removal of sucralose. Filtration through activated carbon was shown to be efficient, while ozonation, advanced oxidation techniques and membrane bioreactors were less efficient. Analyses of receiving waters showed low dilution of sucralose emitted from the STPs.     

Use of Multiwalled Carbon Nanotubes as a SPE Adsorbent for Analysis of Carfentrazone-Ethyl in Water

Solid-phase extraction and gas chromatography with electron-capture detection has been used for sensitive, simple, and reliable analysis of carfentrazone-ethyl residues in water. Carfentrazone-ethyl was enriched by use of multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNT), a new adsorptive material. Several conditions affecting recovery of the analyte, for example polarity and volume of eluents, pH of water samples, and sample volume, were studied. Recovery from fortified samples, linear range, and limit of detection were evaluated. The results showed that MWCNT are an efficient SPE adsorbent for preconcentration of carfentrazone-ethyl in water. Under the optimized SPE conditions, recovery of carfentrazone-ethyl from fortified water was 81.49–91.08%, with RSD from 1.66 to 8.21%. The limits of detection and quantification were 0.01 and 0.03 µg L^?1, which were lower than the MRL stipulated by the EU for individual pesticides in water (0.1 µg L^?1). Finally, the method was applied to tap water and river water; the results showed that the method was suitable for detection of carfentrazone-ethyl in environmental water samples.     

Poly(lauryl methacrylate-co-1,6-hexanediol ethoxylate diacrylate) modified silica-based dispersive solid-phase extraction for determination of phenylurea herbicides in environmental water samples

In this study, poly(lauryl methacrylate-co-1,6-hexanediol ethoxylate diacrylate) (LMA-HEDA) was synthesised on silanised silica through free-radical cross-linking polymerisation process. The optimal preparation process was obtained by investigating the effects of polymerisation temperature and reaction time. Characterisation of the LMA-HEDA-modified silica was achieved using diffuse reflectance FT-IR. The resulting LMA-HEDA-modified silica was then utilised as a sorbent for dispersive solid-phase extraction (dSPE) of phenylurea herbicides (PUHs) from various environmental water samples. The optimisation of LMA-HEDA-based dSPE process was achieved by investigating the effect of the following parameters including extraction time, pH of sample solution, composition of elution solvent and addition of salt on the extraction recovery of PUHs from water samples. Gradient elution was performed to analyse the extracted PUHs by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) with UV-photodiode array detection. Acceptable matrix effect was observed using the proposed LMA-HEDA-based dSPE-HPLC-UV for determining PUHs in environmental water samples. Relatively low detection limits (0.027–0.053 ng mL^?1) and good linearity (0.1–4.0 ng mL^?1; r² > 0.999) for individual PUHs were obtained using the proposed method. The proposed method offered detection limits lower than the allowed permissible level (0.1 ng mL^?1) set by European Union. The enrichment factors of target PUHs were also estimated at 40.3–47.7. Good extraction recoveries (80.1–97.9%) for PUHs-spiked water samples were obtained with relative standard deviations lower than 8.7%. The intra-day/inter-day precision (0.7–4.6%/0.2–5.9%) and accuracy (96.7–104.2%/95.3–103.6%) of the proposed method were also evaluated in this study. In addition, the applicability of the developed method was demonstrated by the measurement of PUHs in various environmental water samples.     

Development of carbon paste electrode modified with cadmium ion-imprinted polymer for selective voltammetric determination of Cd2+

A simple and fast voltammetric method based on a new electrode composed of carbon paste electrode/bifunctional hybrid ion imprinted polymer (CPE/IIP) was developed for the quantification of Cd²⁺ in water samples. The voltammetric measurements by Differential Pulse Voltammetry were performed by using CPE containing 11.0 mg of IIP under phosphate buffer solution at concentration 0.1 mol L^?1 and pH 6.5. The electrochemical method was carried out by Cd²⁺ preconcentration at ?1.2 V during 210 s, followed by anodic stripping. The performance of IIP towards Cd²⁺ determination was evaluated by comparison to non-imprinted polymer, whose detectability of IIP was much higher (45%). The sensitivity of the sensor was found to be 0.0105 µA/µg L^?1. The limits of detection and limits of quantification were found to be 4.95 μg L^?1 and 16.4 μg L^?1, respectively. The developed method was successfully applied to Cd²⁺ determination in mineral, tap and lake water samples, whose results are in agreement with thermospray flame furnace atomic absorption spectrometry (TS-FF-AAS) used as reference analytical technique. According to achieved results, the developed method can be used for routine analysis of quality control of water samples from different sources.     

A novel,simple and robust method for the analysis of sulfonamides in fish farming water samples using column switching liquid chromatography

A novel method for the online extraction and preconcentration of four sulfonamides was developed using column switching liquid chromatography. Sulfadiazine, sulfathiazole, sulfamethoxypyridazine and sulfamethoxazole were analysed in water samples and preconcentrated in a C18 guard column. Suitable validation parameters were obtained, such as precision, accuracy and relative recovery, in accordance with the validation guidelines of the Food and Drug Administration. Low limits of detection (0.05–0.09 µg L^?1) and quantification (0.30 µg L^?1, for all of them) were obtained. The quadratic polynomial model was used to adjust the calibration data, and the coefficients of determination were higher than 0.999 for all the analytes. The method was shown to be robust to the assayed parameters according to Youden’s test. The proposed method was successfully used to determine sulfonamides in 11 different fish farming water samples, in which sulfadiazine (0.732 µg L^?1), sulfamethoxazole (0.531 µg L^?1), sulfathiazole (0.546–1.856 µg L^?1) and sulfamethoxypyridazine (0.369–1.509 µg L^?1) were found.     

Development of an analytical method for eight fluoroquinolones using solid-phase extraction and liquid chromatography with fluorescence detection

In this study, a practicable and effective analytical method based on solid-phase-extraction and reversed-phase liquid chromatography with fluorescence detection (SPE-LC-FLD) was developed and partially validated for routine analysis of eight FQs in wastewater at the trace level. Different SPE materials, pH conditions and eluents were modified to find an economic and effective SPE conditions. In our work, it is the first time that well-known commercially available SPE sorbent are compared to ‘generic’ cheap SPE sorbent. Aqueous samples (pH 2–3) were extracted using Anpel? MEP cartridges where they were subsequently eluted by 6?mL of 2% formic acid in MeOH. The aqueous extracts were analysed by gradient elution LC-FLD, whose initial mobile phase was composed of ACN and 10?mmol?L^?1 tetrabutyl ammonium bromide (4/96, v/v, pH 3). The LODs and LOQs of the wastewater were as low as 0.32–2.12?ng?L^?1 and 1.07–7.07?ng?L^?1, respectively. The precisions of the overall method (RSD, n?=?3) using wastewater were below 10%. The method was used to quantify FQs in influents and effluents of several typical sewage treatment plants (STPs) in Shanghai. The extraction recoveries of 100?mL influent, 500?mL effluent and 500?mL of river water samples were between 88.6 and 102.6%, 79.2 and 109.2%, 80.0 and 105.5% and 87.4 and 99.4%, respectively. FQs of interest except sarafloxacin were identified in the influents, effluents and river waters with concentrations varying from 0.012–1.163?µg?L^?1, 0.003–0.291?µg?L^?1, and 0.002–0.040?µg?L^?1, respectively. The method can serve as a tool to obtain detailed information on occurrence, behaviour and fate of FQs in the aquatic environment. Occurrence of FQs detected in summer is higher than in spring at STPs, and those detected in the suburban area are less than those in the urban area. Complete removal of FQs is not achieved from the STPs, indicating domestic wastewater and STP discharge is the source of FQs in the surface water.     

Determination of Trace Chloroanilines in Environmental Water Samples Using Hollow Fiber-Based Liquid Phase Microextraction

A liquid phase microextraction method using hollow fiber to support extraction solvent was developed for enrichment of trace level chloroanilines in environmental water samples. Target analytes, 2-chloroaniline, 3-chloroaniline, 2,3-dichloroaniline, 2,4-dichloroaniline, 3,4-dichloroaniline, and 3,5-dichloroaniline were determined using gas chromatography-flame ionization detector after extraction. Experimental conditions that affect extraction efficiency were investigated and optimized. The proposed method showed a wide linear range from lower ??g L^?1 to 1,000 ??g L^?1, low detection limits (??5.1 ??g L^?1), and reasonable relative standard deviations (RSDs < 13%). Feasibility of the method was evaluated by analyzing river water samples collected from the Hudson River and the East River in New York City.     

Determination of chlorobenzenes in water samples based on fully automated microextraction by packed sorbent coupled with programmed temperature vaporization–gas chromatography–mass spectrometry

A fully automated method consisting of microextraction by packed sorbent (MEPS) coupled directly to programmed temperature vaporizer–gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (PTV–GC–MS) has been developed to determine the 12 chlorobenzene congeners (chlorobenzene; 1,2-, 1,3-, and 1,4-dichlorobenzene; 1,2,3-, 1,2,4-, and 1,3,5-trichlorobenzene; 1,2,3,4-, 1,2,3,5-, and 1,2,4,5-tetrachlorobenzene; pentachlorobenzene; and hexachlorobenzene) in water samples. The effects of the variables on MEPS extraction, using a C18 sorbent, and the instrumental PTV conditions were studied. The internal standard 1,4-dichlorobenzene d4 was used as a surrogate. The proposed method afforded good reproducibility, with relative standard deviations (RSD %) lower than 12 %. The limits of detection varied between 0.0003 μg L^?1 for 1,2,3,4-tetrachlorobenzene and 0.07 μg L^?1 for 1,3- and 1,4-dichlorobenzene, while those of quantification varied between 0.001 μg L^?1 and 0.2 μg L^?1 for the same compounds. Accuracy of the proposed method was confirmed by applying it to the determination of chlorobenzenes in different spiked water samples, including river, reservoir, and effluent wastewater.

Simultaneous determination of eight antibiotics from distinct classes in surface and wastewater samples by solid-phase extraction and high-performance liquid chromatography–electrospray ionisation mass spectrometry

A reliable multiclass method has been developed and validated for the determination of eight antibiotics from distinct classes (sulfonamides, macrolides, fluoroquinolones, tetracyclines, cephalosporins and dihydrofolate reductase inhibitors) in wastewater – influent and effluent – and surface water from Porto Alegre, Brazil. The pre-concentration and clean-up was conducted with a simple and fast protocol using solid-phase extraction allowing a 100-fold concentration factor. The proposed method was validated by using spiked blank wastewater samples in terms of linearity, repeatability, reproducibility, recovery, matrix effects and limits of detection and quantification. Recovery was obtained in the range of 66–149%. Method limit of quantification ranged between 1.6 and 61.7 ng L^?1. Samples (n = 16) were taken from January to August 2011 in one wastewater treatment plant, which uses conventional biological treatment. Sulfamethoxazole and trimethoprim show higher concentration, ranging from >10 to <6500 ng L^?1, whereas erythromycin presented the lower amount. Differences between influent and effluent profiles were discussed. Surface water samples (n = 8) were collected in Arroio Diluvio, in four sampling points, in February 2012. From the eight antibiotics analysed, five were detected: sulfamethoxazole, trimethoprim, azythromicyn, ciprofloxacin and norfloxacin, in a concentration range of 376–572 ng L^?1, 27–94 ng L^?1, 24–40 ng L^?1, 16–66ng L^?1 and 30–54 ng L^?1, respectively.     

A Modified Nanoporous Silica Aerogel as a New Sorbent for Needle Trap Extraction of Chlorobenzenes from Water Samples

In this work, a modified nanoporous silica aerogel was used as a new sorbent for headspace needle trap extraction of chlorobenzenes from aqueous samples. The needle trap extraction is derived from solid-phase microextraction and the sorbent is inside the needle. The thermal stability and functional groups of the sorbent were studied by TG/DTA and FT-IR, respectively. The modified silica aerogels, characterized by field emission scanning electron microscopy, showed a three-dimensional network containing a homogeneous pore structure with pore sizes of a few tens of nm and a sponge-like microstructure. The developed method was applied to the trace level extraction of some chlorobenzene compounds from aqueous samples. The influential parameters on the extraction efficiency, including the extraction temperature, ionic strength and extraction time were investigated and optimized. Under optimized conditions, the detection and quantification limits were in the range of 0.4–0.8 and 1–3 ng L^?1, respectively. The relative standard deviation values for water spiked with chlorobenzenes at 100 ng L^?1 under optimum conditions were 3–7%. The dynamic linear range of the method in the range of 3–3000 ng L^?1 was investigated. Finally, the current method for the analysis of real water samples containing spiked chlorobenzenes was applied and the relative recovery values were found to be in the range of 96–101%.     

A greener microwave-assisted extraction method for rapid spectroscopic determination of selected metals in river and freshwater sediment certified reference materials

The current study describes development of novel, cost-effective, rapid and greener microwave-assisted extraction (MW-AE) method using diluted hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂) and 400 µL of concentrated aqua-regia for the extraction of 10 selected metals (Ba, Cr, Cu, Co Fe, Mn, Ni, Pb, V and Zn) in sediment certified reference materials (CRMs), prior to inductively coupled plasma-optical emission spectroscopic analysis. The optimum extraction conditions were achieved when 0.2 g of sediment was extracted with 1 mol L^?1 of H₂O₂ (12.00 mL) and 400 µL of concentrated aqua-regia, at 180°C microwave extraction temperature for 30 min. Accuracy of the proposed MW-AE method was evaluated by using river (LGC6187) and freshwater (CRM015-050) sediment CRMs. Quantitative extraction recoveries of 80–120% in LGC6187 and 74–124% in CRM0150-050 were obtained with acceptable precision (0.4–1.0%). The proposed extraction method has a clear advantage over classical approaches as 1 mol L^?1 H₂O₂ was used instead of notorious acidic mixture (Hydrochloric acid/ nitric acid/ hydrofluoric). The method detection limits (MDLs) of 0.03–0.9 μg g^?1 were obtained for all the investigated metals and were fairly comparable with the MDLs of the published literature reports. Therefore, the proposed MW-AE method can be routinely used for monitoring of metal ions in various river and fresh water sediments.     

Simultaneous Analysis of Organophosphorus Pesticides in Water by Magnetic Solid-Phase Extraction Coupled with GC–MS

Magnetic solid-phase extraction (MSPE) coupled with gas chromatography–mass spectrometry was applied for the analysis of organophosphorus pesticides (OPPs) in water samples. We chose C18-functionalized Fe₃O₄@mSiO₂ microspheres as the magnetic sorbents to extract and enrich OPPs from water samples with the advantages of good solubility in water, large surface area and fast separation ability. In this study, six kinds of OPPs were analyzed and various parameters of MSPE procedure, including eluting solvent, the amount of magnetic absorbents and extraction time were optimized. Validation experiments showed that the optimized method had good linearity with correlation coefficients r ² > 0.98 and satisfactory precision with the relative standard deviation ≤10.7 %. The limits of detection were 1.8–5.0 μg L^?1 and the limits of quantification ranged from 6.1 to 16.7 μg L^?1. We concluded that the proposed method was successfully applied to analyze OPPs in real water samples and the results indicated that it had the advantages of simplicity, convenience and efficiency.     

Determination of Mycotoxins Using Hollow Fiber Dispersive Liquid–Liquid–Microextraction (HF-DLLME) Prior to High-Performance Liquid Chromatography – Tandem Mass Spectrometry (HPLC - MS/MS)

A modified hollow-fiber-supported dispersive liquid-liquid microextraction (HF-DLLME) method was developed for the determination of aflatoxins and ochratoxin A in food samples. The various parameters affecting the efficiency of extraction, such as pH, salt addition, extraction time, stirring rate, desorption time, type and volume of extractant and disperser solvents were carefully studied and optimized using two step strategies. The linearity of the evaluated results was 0.1 to 30?μg L^?1 for aflatoxins and 0.1 to 20?μg L^?1 for ochratoxin A, with regression coefficients (R²) exceeding 0.9990. The precision was satisfactory with relative standard deviation values less than 11%. The method accuracy was within the recommended range from 70% to 120% and analyte accuracy between 83% and 101%. The limits of detection and quantification were in the range from 0.04 to 0.06?μg L^?1 and 0.08 to 0.13?μg L^?1, respectively, for multi-aflatoxins, and 0.02 to 0.04?µg L^?1 and 0.08 to 0.10?µg L^?1, respectively, for ochratoxin A. The developed method was successfully applied for the determination of mycotoxins in food samples.