A simple and fast micromethod for the analysis of polychlorinated biphenyls in air by sorbent enrichment and ultrasound-assisted solvent extraction

A combination of sorbent enrichment and ultrasound-assisted solvent extraction has been used to determine polychlorinated biphenyls in air. Analytes were sampled by pumping a known volume of air through a porous polymer (Tenax TA). The enriched adsorbent was transferred into a glass vial, and ultrasound-assisted extraction of the analytes was then performed in n-hexane. Quantification was carried out by using gas chromatography coupled to tandem mass spectrometry. Breakthrough volume of the sampling step was studied, indicating that 10 m³ of air could be processed without losses of the most volatile compounds. Good recoveries (75–96%) were obtained, and limits of detection at the sub ng m^–3 were achieved for all the analytes. The proposed method is very simple and fast, avoiding the use of large solvent volumes and time-consuming preconcentration steps.     

Separation and analysis of trace volatile formaldehyde in aquatic products by a MoO3/polypyrrole intercalative sampling adsorbent with thermal desorption gas chromatography and mass spectrometry

An in situ embedded synthesis strategy was developed for the preparation of a MoO₃/polypyrrole intercalative sampling adsorbent for the separation and analysis of trace volatile formaldehyde in aquatic products. Structural and morphological characteristics of the MoO₃/polypyrrole intercalative adsorbent were investigated by a series of characterization methods. The MoO₃/polypyrrole sampling adsorbent possessed a higher sampling capacity and selectivity for polar formaldehyde than commonly used commercial adsorbent Tenax TA. Finally, the MoO₃/polypyrrole adsorbent was packed in the thermal desorption tube that was directly coupled to gas chromatography with mass spectrometry for the analysis of trace volatile formaldehyde in aquatic products. Trace volatile formaldehyde from real aquatic products could be selectively sampled and quantified to be 0.43–6.6 mg/kg. The detection limit was achieved as 0.004 μg/L by this method. Good recoveries for spiked aquatic products were achieved in range of 75.0–108% with relative standard deviations of 1.2–9.0%.     

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.     

The Analysis of Air for Acetone Cyanohydrin Using Solid Sorbent Sampling and Gas Chromatography

Abstract

A method for sampling and analysis of airborne acetone cyanohydrin is described. The analyte is collected on Porapak QS, a silylated styrene-divinylbenzene porous polymer. Samples are desorbed with ethyl acetate and analyzed by gas chromatography using a nitrogen-specific detector and a teflon column packed with 5% OV-17 on Chromosorb T. The detection limit is estimated to be 0.1 μg/mL acetone cyanohydrin in ethyl acetate. The method was tested by evaporating from 1.0 to 50 μg of the analyte onto sorbent beds of Porapak QS and exposing the samples to a humidified airstream for 15 min. Quantitative recovery was obtained for samples stored for one day at ambient temperature or for seven days if the samples were refrigerated immediately after collection.     

Trace Analysis of Hydrocarbons in Air Using Standard Gas Chromatographic and Personal Sampling Equipment

Abstract

Unmodified standard gas chromatographs are reported to be useful for the determination of a large number of ambient hydrocarbons. Packing of standard injector glass liners with an adsorbent permits thermal desorption in the injector on to the chromatographic column. Coupling to a personal sampling pump permits exposure-related sampling. The potential of the technique is illustrated by applications with the Tenax GC adsorbent. Precautions required to avoid artifacts when working in the subnanogram range are described.     

Porous multicomponent chitosan/poly(ε-caprolactone)-block poly (ethylene glycol)/SiO2 aerogel@polydopamine membrane for Congo red adsorption

A composite adsorbent, chitosan//poly (ε-caprolactone)-block poly (ethylene glycol)/SiO₂ aerogel@polydopamine (CS/PCL-b-PEG/SA@PDA) membrane was prepared for the adsorption of organic dyes. The matrix polymer materials of this novel adsorbent were eco-friendly. SiO₂ aerogel with nanoporous network construction was fixed in the multicomponent polymer fibers through simultaneous electrospinning-electrospray technology followed by modification of polydopamine (PDA). The composite adsorbent had a maximum adsorption capacity of 598.8 mg/g for Congo red (CR) and possessed good reusability performance. This adsorbent showed excellent performance for the selective adsorption of relatively large molecule CR dyes even under high concentration of small molecule methyl orange (MO) dyes or 1 M of salt solution. The adsorption mechanism indicated that the –NH₂ and –OH groups in adsorbent could generate the stronger electrostatic attraction with the –SO₃^- groups in CR. Meanwhile, the sufficient adsorption spaces of the adsorbent were constructed by the porous network structure of SiO₂ aerogel, the accumulation of PDA particles and the porous structure of the multicomponent composite membrane. The work provided a proactive study in designing an adsorbent for the selective adsorption of organic dyes.     

Novel method for the rapid and specific extraction of multiple β2‐agonist residues in food by tailor‐made Monolith‐MIPs extraction disks and detection by gas chromatography with mass spectrometry

A quick and specific pretreatment method based on a series of extraction clean‐up disks, consisting of molecularly imprinted polymer monoliths and C₁₈ adsorbent, was developed for the specific enrichment of salbutamol and clenbuterol residues in food. The molecularly imprinted monolithic polymer disk was synthesized using salbutamol as a template through a one‐step synthesis process. It can simultaneously and specifically recognize salbutamol and clenbuterol. The monolithic polymer disk and series of C₁₈ disks were assembled with a syringe to form a set of tailor‐made devices for the extraction of target molecules. In a single run, salbutamol and clenbuterol can be specifically extracted, cleaned, and eluted by methanol/acetic acid/H₂O. The target molecules, after a silylation derivatization reaction were detected by gas chromatography‐mass spectrometry. The parameters including solvent desorption, sample pH, and the cycles of reloading were investigated and discussed. Under the optimized extraction and clean‐up conditions, the limits of detection and quantitation were determined as 0.018–0.022 and 0.042–0.049 ng/g for salbutamol and clenbuterol, respectively. The assay described was convenient, rapid, and specific; thereby potentially efficient in the high‐throughput analysis of β₂‐agonists residues in real food samples.     

Chromatographic and adsorption properties of the mixed stationary phase poly(1-trimethylsilyl-1-propyne)/poly(1-phenyl-1-propyne)

Adsorption and chromatographic properties of the mixed stationary phase poly-(1-trimethylsilyl-1-propyne)/poly(1-phenyl-1-propyne) (PTMSP/PPP) composed as 97: 3 by weight have been investigated by methods of low-temperature nitrogen adsorption and gas chromatography on packed columns. The resultant phase has uniform mesoporous structure. The chromatographic properties of the mixed phase are significantly different from the properties of the original porous polymers PTMSP and PPP. The adsorbent obtained by modifying Chromosorb P NAW with a mixture of polymers provides the selective separation of chlorosubstituted, saturated, and aromatic hydrocarbons.     

Metal–organic framework based in‐syringe solid‐phase extraction for the on‐site sampling of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons from environmental water samples

In‐syringe solid‐phase extraction is a promising sample pretreatment method for the on‐site sampling of water samples because of its outstanding advantages of portability, simple operation, short extraction time, and low cost. In this work, a novel in‐syringe solid‐phase extraction device using metal–organic frameworks as the adsorbent was fabricated for the on‐site sampling of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons from environmental waters. Trace polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons were effectively extracted through the self‐made device followed by gas chromatography with mass spectrometry analysis. Owing to the excellent adsorption performance of metal–organic frameworks, the analytes could be completely adsorbed during one adsorption cycle, thus effectively shortening the extraction time. Moreover, the adsorbed analytes could remain stable on the device for at least 7 days, revealing the potential of the self‐made device for on‐site sampling of degradable compounds in remote regions. The limit of detection ranged from 0.20 to 1.9 ng/L under the optimum conditions. Satisfactory recoveries varying from 84.4 to 104.5% and relative standard deviations below 9.7% were obtained in real samples analysis. The results of this study promote the application of metal–organic frameworks in sample preparation and demonstrate the great potential of in‐syringe solid‐phase extraction for the on‐site sampling of trace contaminants in environmental waters.     

Determination of volatile organics in gaseous phase using porous adsorbents

A novel procedure is developed for the quantitative determination of volatile organics in the gas phase over samples. Substances were extracted and preconcentrated from the gas phase on porous polymer adsorbents under the conditions of thermodynamic equilibrium, followed by back extraction from the adsorbent using organic solvents. The final monitoring was performed by capillary gas chromatography with an internal standard. The influence of adsorption time and the concentration of substances in an aqueous solution on the degree of extraction were also studied; linear correlations between the quantities of substances in the gas and aqueous phases were found. The method was used for the determination of volatile substances in the gas phase over liquid and solid matrixes of different origin.     

Role of each part of cyanobiphenyl-containing polymers in porous-film preparation by using the breath-figure method

ABSTRACT

The breath-figure method using the condensation of water droplets can easily fabricate regular porous films. Although the method is simple, the phenomenon itself requires the control of many parameters that change throughout the process. Therefore, we require a unified understanding of polymers for the fabrication of ordered porous films. In this study, to clarify the required molecular structures of polymers to form a regular porous structure, we systematically explored poly(methacrylate)s with cyanobiphenyl moieties connected by dodecyl groups in the side chain (P11CB); these could form a hexagonal ordered porous structure on the entire film surface. The comparison of P11CB and P11B, which is a P11CB without cyano groups, showed that the local polar groups in hydrophobic polymers promote the formation of ordered porous films. Furthermore, no holes were formed in films of P0CB which is a P11CB without alkyl spacers due to its hydrophilicity. Long alkyl chains resulted in changed hydrophilic polymers to hydrophobic polymers. The introduction of long alkyl chains as a spacer between the biphenyl moiety and polymer backbone is preferred in the cases of particularly few amounts of biphenyl groups in the polymer. The biphenyl groups showed the ability to improve film formability.     

Critical Parameters for the Adsorption of Gaseous Pollutants on Passive Samplers Made of Low Specific Area Adsorbents

Abstract

The parameters affecting the sampling on passive samplers made of graphitized carbon black, an adsorbent with a low specific area, are investigated.

It has been shown that a reverse diffusion might occur, this effect being more noticeable for volatile compounds. Also, the presence of organics in large concentration may affect the sampling of components in small concentration due to a deactivation of the adsorbent. These limitations are counterbalanced if the passive samplers have a suitable geometry and contain a sufficient amount of adsorbent.     

Antibacterial Activity of Thymus vulgaris L. Essential Oil Vapours and Their GC/MS Analysis Using Solid-Phase Microextraction and Syringe Headspace Sampling Techniques

While the inhalation of Thymus vulgaris L. essential oil (EO) is commonly approved for the treatment of mild respiratory infections, there is still a lack of data regarding the antimicrobial activity and chemical composition of its vapours. The antibacterial activity of the three T. vulgaris EOs against respiratory pathogens, including Haemophilus influenzae, Staphylococcus aureus, and Streptococcus pyogenes, was assessed in both liquid and vapour phases using the broth microdilution volatilisation (BMV) method. With the aim of optimising a protocol for the characterisation of EO vapours, their chemical profiles were determined using two headspace sampling techniques coupled with GC/MS: solid-phase microextraction (HS-SPME) and syringe headspace sampling technique (HS-GTS). All EO sample vapours exhibited antibacterial activity with minimum inhibitory concentrations (MIC) ranging from 512 to 1024 μg/mL. According to the sampling technique used, results showed a different distribution of volatile compounds. Notably, thymol was found in lower amounts in the headspace—peak percentage areas below 5.27% (HS-SPME) and 0.60% (HS-GTS)—than in EOs (max. 48.65%), suggesting that its antimicrobial effect is higher in vapour. Furthermore, both headspace sampling techniques were proved to be complementary for the analysis of EO vapours, whereas HS-SPME yielded more accurate qualitative results and HS-GTS proved a better technique for quantitative analysis.     

Microextraction in packed syringe (MEPS) for liquid and gas chromatographic applications. Part II--Determination of ropivacaine and its metabolites in human plasma samples using MEPS with liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry

A new technique for sample preparation on-line with liquid chromatographic/tandem mass spectrometric (LC/MS/MS) assay was developed. Microextraction in a packed syringe (MEPS) is a new miniaturized, solid-phase extraction technique that can be connected on-line to gas or liquid chromatography without any modifications. In MEPS approximately 1 mg of the solid packing material is inserted into a syringe (100-250 microl) as a plug. Sample preparation takes place on the packed bed. The bed can be coated to provide selective and suitable sampling conditions. The new method is very promising, very easy to use, fully automated, of low cost and rapid in comparison with previously used methods. This paper presents the development and validation of a method for MEPS on-line with LC/MS/MS. Ropivacaine and its metabolites (PPX and 3-OH-ropivacaine) in human plasma samples were used as model substances. The method was validated and the calibration curves were evaluated by means of quadratic regression and weighted by the inverse of the concentration, 1/x, for the calibration range 2-2000 nM. The applied polymer could be used more than 100 times before the syringe was discarded. The extraction recovery was between 40 and 60%. The results showed high correlation coefficients (R(2) > 0.999) for all analytes in the calibration range studied. The accuracy, expressed as a percentage variation from the nominal concentration values, ranged from 0 to 6%. The precision, expressed as the relative standard deviation, at three different concentrations (quality control samples) was consistently about 2-10%. The limit of quantification was 2 nM.     

Comparative analysis of methods for determination of structural characteristics of carbon adsorbents

Experimental data on the equilibrium adsorption of sulfur hexafluoride, methane, carbon dioxide, and benzene on carbon adsorbents of different porosity obtained in a wide pressure range at 298–408 K were analyzed. The adsorption volumes, surface areas, and sizes of slit-shaped pores of the carbons were determined using several independent methods. A method for determination of the adsorption volume from the experimental isotherm of excessive adsorption of gases and the total content equation was proposed. The resulting values are similar to the adsorption volumes calculated from the data for vapors. A new method for the calculation of the adsorbent surface area is described. The method is based on the dependence of the adsorption volume of adsorbent pores on the effective size of adsorbate molecules. A possibility to determine the average size of narrow slit-shaped carbon pores from the difference of the initial heats of adsorption of the gas under study on the carbon black and porous carbon adsorbent is considered. Published in Russian in Izvestiya Akademii Nauk. Seriya Khimicheskaya, No. 10, pp. 2219–2227, October, 2005.     

Fast and sensitive environmental analysis utilizing microextraction in packed syringe online with gas chromatography-mass spectrometry: determination of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in water

A new sensitive, selective, fast and accurate technique for online sample preparation was developed. Microextraction in a packed syringe (MEPS) is a new miniaturised, solid-phase extraction (SPE) technique that can be connected online to GC or LC without any modifications. In MEPS approximately 1mg of the solid packing material is inserted into a syringe (100-250 ml) as a plug. Sample preparation takes place on the packed bed. The bed can be coated to provide selective and suitable sampling conditions. The new method is very promising. It is very easy to use, fully automated, of low cost and rapid in comparison with previously used methods. The determination of polycyclic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in water was performed using MEPS as sample preparation method online with gas chromatography and mass spectrometry (MEPS-GC-MS). The results from MEPS as sample preparation were compared with other techniques such as stir bar sorptive extraction (SBSE) and solid-phase microextraction (SPME). The method was validated and the standard curves were evaluated by the means of quadratic regression and weighted by inverse of the concentration: 1/x for the calibration range 5-1,000 ng/L. The MEPS applied polymer (silica-C8) could be used more than 400 times before the syringe was discarded. The extraction recovery was about 70%. The results showed close correlation coefficients (R>0.998) for all analytes in the calibration range studied. The accuracy of MEPS-GC-MS was between 90 and 113% and the inter-day precision (n=3 days), expressed as the relative standard deviation (RSD%), was 8-16%. MEPS reduced the handling time by 30 and 100 times compared to SPME and SBSE, respectively.     

Magnetic solid‐phase extraction of benzoylurea insecticides by Fe3O4 nanoparticles decorated with a hyper‐cross‐linked porous organic polymer

A magnetic polytriphenylamine porous organic polymer was prepared through simple self‐polycondensation of triphenylamine followed by coprecipitation with Fe²⁺ and Fe³⁺. It was applied as a magnetic adsorbent for the extraction of six benzoylurea insecticides from tomato, cucumber, and watermelon samples before their high‐performance liquid chromatography and mass spectral detection. Under the optimized experimental conditions, the established method gave a low limit of detection ranging from 0.05 to 0.1 ng/g and a good linear response ranging from 0.2 to 40 ng/g with coefficients of determination >0.99. The method recoveries for spiked analytes at the concentrations of 3 and 15 ng/g in real samples were in the range of 87.7–106.7% with the relative standard deviations <6.4%. The results indicated that it had a good adsorption capability toward the target analytes due to the π‐stacking and hydrogen bonding interactions. The polymer material showed great potential in the efficient extraction of organic compounds from real samples with complex matrixes.     

Fluorinated Porous Poly(spirobifluorene) Via Direct C‒H Arylation: Characterization,Porosity, and Gas Uptake

Considering intrinsic properties of conjugated polyfluorenes and special functions of porous polymers, synthesis of fluorinated porous poly(spirobifluorene) via direct C?H arylation polycondensation is explored. Owing to the contorted structure and cross-linking nature, the obtained polymer FPSBF shows permanent porosities with Brunauer–Emmett–Teller specific surface area up to 700 m² g^?1 and exhibits a narrow pore size distribution with the dominant pore size at about 0.63 nm, which is more suitable for adsorption of small gas molecules. Based on the measured gas physisorption isotherms with pressure up to 1.13 bar, the obtained polymer shows good uptaking capacities for hydrogen (1.30 wt% at 1.0 bar and 77 K) and methane (4.80 wt% 1.0 bar and 273 K). Moreover, FPSBF has significant adsorption selectivity for CH₄ against N₂ and the estimated ideal adsorption selectivity ratio is up to 30/1 at 1.0 bar and 273 K, which makes the material possess potential application in gas separation.     

Gas chromatographic investigation of the properties of a styrene-divinylbenzene copolymer modified by 5-hydroxy-6-methyluracil

The properties of the porous polymer Dowex L-285, modified by 5-hydroxy-6-methyluracil, are investigated by means of gas chromatography. It is found that the modification leads to a considerable increase in the sorption activity of the porous polymer with respect to both polar and nonpolar molecules. It is shown that each type of cavities in the supramolecular structure of 5-hydroxy-6-methyluracil contributes to the adsorption and thermodynamic properties of the modified adsorbent.     

Highly efficient CO2 capture with a metal–organic framework‐derived porous carbon impregnated with polyethyleneimine

Global warming is considered as one of the great challenges of the twenty‐first century. Application of CO₂ capture and storage technologies to flue gas is considered to be a useful method of lessening global warning. Highly porous carbon has played an important role in tackling energy and environmental problems. We attempted to synthesize a highly porous carbon adsorbent by carbonizing a highly crystalline metal–organic framework (MOF) without any carbon precursors and focused on the adsorption of CO₂ and CH₄ gases and CO₂/CH₄ selectivity at 298, 323 and 348 K using a volumetric apparatus. The MOF‐derived porous carbon (MDC) was prepared by direct carbonization of MOF‐199 as a template at 900 °C under nitrogen atmosphere. Amino‐impregnated MDC samples exhibited enhanced adsorption capacities by a combination of physical and chemical adsorption. Polyethyleneimine (PEI) was selected as the amine source, which was found to greatly enhance CO₂ capture when supported on the porous carbon. Novel PEI‐impregnated MDC nanocomposites were synthesized by wetness impregnation and then characterized using various methods.