Multiresidue determination of UV filters in water samples by solid‐phase extraction and liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry analysis

UV filters, contained in sunscreens and other cosmetic products, as well as in some plastics and industrial products, are nowadays considered contaminants of emerging concern because their widespread and increasing use has lead to their presence in the environment. Furthermore, some UV filters are suspected to have endocrine disruption activity. In the present work, we developed an analytical method based on liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry for the determination of UV filters in tap and lake waters. Sixteen UV filters were extracted from water samples by solid‐phase extraction employing graphitized carbon black as adsorbent material. Handling 200 mL of water sample, satisfactory recoveries were obtained for almost all the analytes. The limits of detection and quantification of the method were comparable to those reported in other works, and ranged between 0.7–3.5 and 1.9–11.8 ng/L, respectively; however in our case the number of investigated compounds was larger. The major encountered problem in method development was to identify the background contamination sources and reduce their contribution. UV filters were not detected in tap water samples, whereas the analyses conducted on samples collected from three different lakes showed that the swimming areas are most subject to UV filter contamination.     

Simultaneous determination of multiveterinary drug residues in pork meat by liquid chromatography‐tandem mass spectrometry combined with solid phase extraction

An LC‐MS/MS method developed for simultaneous analysis of 54 veterinary drug residues of six families in pork meat samples, including sulfanilamide, nitroimidazoles, quinolones, macrolide antibiotics, lincosamides, and praziquantel. The pork meat sample was prepared by extraction with ACN, and clean‐up on a C₁₈ SPE cartridge. The sample was separated on a C₈ column and eluted with ACN, methanol, and formic acid. The MS/MS detector is operated in the multiple reaction monitoring mode, acquiring two specific precursor‐product ion transitions per target compound. The method showed excellent linearity (R² ≥ 0.99) and high precision (relative SD, RSD ≤ 19.8%) for all compounds. The method quantification limits of 54 veterinary drug residues were in the range of 0.3–3.0 μg/kg. Recoveries for most analytes based on matrix‐matched calibration in matrices were 20.9–121.0%. This method has been successfully applied for analysis of more than 100 pork meat samples from the local market; five of the 54 drugs were detected.     

Natural estrogens in dairy products: Determination of free and conjugated forms by ultra high performance liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry

Natural estrogens are synthesized by mammals in different amounts depending on the developmental stage and pregnancy/lactation period, and they may pass into milk, where they are mostly present as glucuronated and sulfated forms. In modern dairy practices, about 75% of milk is produced from pregnant cows; therefore, the amount of hormones that may pass into milk could be of concern. While estrogen determination in milk has been investigated in depth, the individual determination of estrogens and their conjugated forms in dairy products has not been fully addressed. The aim of this work was to develop and assess a sensitive method, using the peculiar retention properties of graphitized carbon black, to extract natural free estrogens and their major conjugated metabolites, without any enzymatic cleavage, from yogurt, cheese, and butter. The free and conjugated estrogens were eluted in two distinct fractions from the solid‐phase extraction cartridge and analyzed separately by ultra high performance liquid chromatography coupled to tandem mass spectrometry. Recoveries were higher than 80% for all the three sample typologies. The highest matrix effects were observed for butter, which was richest in lipid content, but was below 30%. A survey on some commercial dairy products suggests that production processes decreased estrogen content.     

Multiresidue determination of 114 multiclass pesticides in flue‐cured tobacco by solid‐phase extraction coupled with gas chromatography and tandem mass spectrometry

A sensitive and robust multiresidue method for the simultaneous analysis of 114 pesticides in tobacco was developed based on solid‐phase extraction coupled with gas chromatography and tandem mass spectrometry. In this strategy, tobacco samples were extracted with acetonitrile and cleaned up with a multilayer solid‐phase extraction cartridge Cleanert TPT using acetonitrile/toluene (3:1) as the elution solvent. Two internal standards of different polarity were used to meet simultaneous pesticides quantification demands in the tobacco matrix. Satisfactory linearity in the range of 10–500 ng/mL was obtained for all 114 pesticides with linear regression coefficients higher than 0.994. The limit of detection and limit of quantification values were 0.02–5.27 and 0.06–17.6 ng/g, respectively. For most of the pesticides, acceptable recoveries in the range of 70–120% and repeatabilities (relative standard deviation) of <11% were achieved at spiking levels of 20, 100, and 400 ng/g. Compared with the reported multiresidue analytical method, the proposed method provided a cleaner test solution with smaller amounts of pigments, fatty acids as well as other undesirable interferences. The development and validation of the high sensitivity, high selectivity, easy automation, and high‐throughput analytical method meant that it could be successfully used for the determination of pesticides in tobacco samples.     

Determination of organophosphate esters in water samples by mixed‐mode liquid chromatography and tandem mass spectrometry

A simple and sensitive method for the determination of organophosphate esters in water samples by mixed‐mode liquid chromatography with electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry coupled with solid‐phase extraction is developed. Using seven alkyl phosphates, three chlorinated alkyl phosphates, and four aryl phosphates as the targets, the developed method was systematically evaluated on the basis of the influence of the solid‐phase extraction cartridge, eluting solvent, sample‐loading volume, mobile phase condition, and the separation of reversed‐phase chromatography and mixed‐mode liquid chromatography. Under the optimal conditions, these organophosphate esters can be extracted by ENVI‐18 cartridge, eluted by 6 mL of 25% dichloromethane in acetonitrile, and then qualified and quantified by mixed‐mode liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry in the multiple reaction‐monitoring mode. The application of mixed‐mode liquid chromatography endows the separation with reasonable retention for both hydrophilic and hydrophobic organophosphate esters regardless of their polarity, which is hardly achieved by reversed‐phase chromatography. Good linearity (from 0.9877 to 0.9969), low quantification limits (1–35 ng/L after extraction of 100 mL of river water), and acceptable recovery rates (58.6–116.2%, with the relative standard deviation <18.0%) were obtained. Finally, the established method was used for analyzing surface water samples, and the good applicability of this method was demonstrated.     

Analysis of amicarbazone and its two metabolites in grains and soybeans by liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry

A sensitive, simple and reliable analytical method based on a modified quick, easy, cheap, effective, rugged, safe sample preparation and liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry detection was developed for the simultaneous determination of amicarbazone and its two major metabolites desamino amicarbazone and isopropyl‐2‐hydroxy‐desamino amicarbazone residues in grains (rice, wheat, corn, buckwheat) and soybean. Several parameters, including liquid chromatography and tandem mass spectrometry conditions, extraction approaches and the adsorbents for clean‐up, which might influence the accuracy of the method, were extensively investigated. The established method was further validated by determining the linearity (R² > 0.99), fortified recovery (79–118%), precision (1–12%) and sensitivity (limit of quantification, 5 μg/kg for amicarbazone and desamino amicarbazone, and 10 μg/kg for isopropyl‐2‐hydroxy‐desamino amicarbazone). Finally, the established method was successfully applied to determine the residues of amicarbazone and its metabolites in 49 real samples of grain and soybean.     

Rapid analysis of six trace trichlorophenols in seawater by magnetic micro‐solid‐phase extraction and liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry

A new facile, rapid, inexpensive, and sensitive method for the analysis of six trace trichlorophenols in seawater samples was developed by magnetic micro‐solid‐phase extraction coupled to liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry. Core–shell covalently functionalized ferroferric oxide coated with aminated silicon dioxide and decorated with multiwalled carbon nanotubes was applied as an adsorbent to perform the extraction process. The effect of factors including solution pH, contact time, adsorbent amount, and ionic strength were investigated in detail. The obtained results revealed that the proposed adsorbent was a highly effective and low‐cost magnetic micro‐solid‐phase extraction material for the enrichment of 2,3,4‐trichlorophenol, 2,3,5‐trichlorophenol, 2,3,6‐trichlorophenol, 2,4,5‐trichlorophenol, 2,4,6‐trichlorophenol, and 3,4,5‐trichlorophenol from seawater. Under the optimized conditions, the recoveries ranged from 88.0 to 99.5% at the three spiking levels, the limits of detection and the limits of quantification were 0.002 and 0.007 μg/L for the six trichlorophenols, respectively. The intra‐ and interday relative standard deviations were 2.0–6.7 and 4.5–8.9%, respectively. The calibration curves showed a good linearity in the range of 0.02–5.0 μg/L. The routine run analyses showed that the developed method was fast, simple, accurate, solvent‐saving and high resolution, and it was suitable for the determination of trace trichlorophenols in seawater.     

超高压液相色谱-串级质谱分析渔业水中7种激素药物

建立了同时测定渔业养殖水中氢化可的松、泼尼松、醋酸可的松、睾酮、甲睾酮、黄体酮及苯丙酸诺龙等7种激素残留药物的超高压液相色谱-电喷雾电离串联质谱(UPLC-ESI-MS/MS)分析方法.水样用HLB固相萃取柱净化、浓缩后,洗脱液经氮气吹干,残渣用乙腈-水(V∶V=1∶1)溶解,以乙腈和0.1％甲酸水溶液为流动相,经ZORBAXSB-C18色谱柱分离后进行LC-MS/MS多反应检测模式作定性定量分析.方法在0.5～40μggL或1～40μg/L范围具有良好的线性,相关系数大于0.997,检出限(S/N=3)为0.03～0.3μg/L,平均回收率为74.8％～113.0％,相对标准偏差为4.0％～16％.方法适用于渔业养殖水中7种激素的检测分析.     

Simultaneous determination of seven multiclass veterinary antibiotics in surface water samples in the Republic of Korea using liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry

A simultaneous determination method using solid‐phase extraction and liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry was developed to detect and quantify the presence of seven multiclass veterinary antibiotics (13 compounds in total) in surface water samples, which included the effluents of livestock wastewater and sewage treatment plants, as well as the reservoir drainage areas from dense animal farms. The pH of all water samples was adjusted to 2 or 6 before solid‐phase extraction using Oasis HLB cartridges. The developed method was fully validated in terms of linearity, method detection limit, method quantitation limit, accuracy, and precision. The linearity of all tested drugs was good, with R² determination coefficients ≥ 0.9931. The method detection limits and method quantitation limits were 0.1–74.3 and 0.5–236.6 ng/L, respectively. Accuracy and precision values were 71–120 and 1–17%, respectively. The determination method was successfully applied for monitoring water samples obtained from the Yeongsan River in 2015. The most frequently detected antibiotics were lincomycin (96%), sulfamethazine (90%), sulfamethoxazole (88%), and sulfathiazole (50%); the maximum concentrations of which were 398.9, 1151.3, 533.1, and 307.4 ng/L, respectively. Overall, the greatest numbers and concentrations of detected antibiotics were found in samples from the effluents of livestock wastewater, sewage treatment plants, and reservoir drainage areas. Diverse veterinary antibiotics were present, and their presence was dependent upon the commercial sales and environmental properties of the analytes, the geographical positions of the sampling points, and the origin of the water.     

Plasma lipid analysis by hydrophilic interaction liquid chromatography coupled with electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry

A novel method for the analysis of endogenous lipids and related compounds was developed employing hydrophilic interaction liquid chromatography with electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry. A hydrophilic interaction liquid chromatography with carbamoyl stationary phase achieved clear separation of phosphatidylcholine, lysophosphatidylcholine, sphingomyelin, ceramide, and mono‐hexsosyl ceramide groups with good peak area repeatability (RSD% < 10) and linearity (R² > 0.99). The established method was applied to human plasma assays and a total of 117 endogenous lipids were successfully detected and reproducibly identified. In addition, we investigated the simultaneous detection of small polar metabolites such as amino and organic acids co‐existing in the same biological samples processed in a single analytical run with lipids. Our results show that hydrophilic interaction liquid chromatography is a useful tool for human plasma lipidome analysis and offers more comprehensive metabolome coverage.     

Simultaneous determination of benzodiazepines and their metabolites in human serum by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry using a high-resolution octadecyl silica column compatible with aqueous compounds

A liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) method using a high-resolution octadecyl silica column compatible with aqueous compounds was developed for the simultaneous determination of benzodiazepines and their metabolites in human serum. This method enabled us to determine multiple benzodiazepines, including flurazepam, bromazepam, chlordiazepoxide, nitrazepam, clonazepam, flunitrazepam, estazolam, clobazam, lorazepam, alprazolam, triazolam, brotizolam, fludiazepam, diazepam, quazepam, prazepam and their metabolites such as 7-aminonitrazepam, 7-aminoclonazepam, 7-acetamidonitrazepam, N-desmethylclobazam and N-desmethyldiazepam. The analytes spiked into human serum were subjected to solid-phase extraction followed by liquid chromatography coupled with electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry. The running time was within 25 min for the measurement of 22 benzodiazepines and their metabolites. The recovery rates exceeded 58.1% for those compounds except for quazepam, which showed a recovery of 45.8%. The limit of detection ranged from 0.3 to 11.4 ng/mL. Linearity was satisfactory for all compounds. These data suggest that the present method can be applicable to routine assay for benzodiazepines in the clinical setting.     

Analytical study on ethephon residue determination in water by ion-pairing liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry

A detailed analytical study on ethephon residue determination in water, making use of ion-pairing liquid chromatography coupled to electrospray tandem mass spectrometry (LC/MS/MS), has been carried out. Ethephon is a plant growth regulator, highly polar, which is typically present in aqueous solution in anionic form due to its acid character. Both its extraction and pre-concentration from water samples and its chromatographic retention are difficult. Several approaches for sample pretreatment have been tested including direct injection into the chromatographic system, on-line solid phase extraction (SPE) and off-line SPE, with the best results being obtained after off-line SPE, using Oasis MAX cartridges (mixed-mode strong anion-exchange). After testing several ion-pairing reagents, tetrabuthylammonium acetate (TBA) was selected. This was added to the samples before LC/MS/MS analysis to facilitate ethephon chromatographic retention. The acquisition of several specific MS/MS transitions together with the evaluation of their relative intensity ratios allowed the reliable confirmation of the analyte in samples. The optimised approach was tested in low-salinity water spiked at 0.1?µg?L^?1 level with satisfactory recovery, and a limit of detection of 0.02?µg?L^?1. To this purpose, the water sample was partially de-ionised in an initial stage, in order to remove major ions that would have interfered in analyses. The application of this methodology to more saline/complex water samples, as surface or wastewater, was problematic and a thorough optimisation of the de-ionisation conditions would be required.     

Use of autoclave extraction and liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry for determination of maleic hydrazide residues in tobacco

Maleic hydrazide has been extensively used as an effective growth regulator in tobacco sucker control. After application, maleic hydrazide distributes itself throughout the tobacco plant where it can exist as free, or forms glucoside conjugates with glucose, or becomes bound with lignin. Among them, free maleic hydrazide and its glucoside conjugates are extractable under conventional solvent extraction, while lignin bound maleic hydrazide is claimed to be non‐extractable. Herein, an autoclave extraction method has been developed to extract maleic hydrazide effectively, in which tobacco samples are extracted in an autoclave at 130°C for 1 h using 4 M hydrochloric acid. Under such pressurized hot acidic water conditions, lignin bound maleic hydrazide can be released. Meanwhile, glucoside conjugates are hydrolyzed. Total maleic hydrazide is detected by liquid chromatography coupled with tandem mass spectrometry, and the quantitative results coincide well with that obtained from the international standard method. The proposed autoclave extraction with liquid chromatography and tandem mass spectrometry method exhibits excellent linearity in the range of 5–200 mg/kg (R² = 0.9998), the matrix matched limit of detection and limit of quantification is 0.68 and 2.27 mg/kg, respectively. This method is simple and improves sample capacity, providing an effective approach to monitoring maleic hydrazide residues in tobacco.     

Analysis of endocrine disruptor compounds in marine sediments by in cell clean up-pressurized liquid extraction-liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry determination

A less time-, solvent- and sorbent-consuming analytical methodology for the determination of bisphenol A and alkylphenols (4-tert-octylphenol, 4-octylphenol, 4-n-nonylphenol, nonylphenol) in marine sediment was developed and validated. The method was based on selective pressurized liquid extraction (SPLE) with a simultaneous in cell clean up combined with liquid chromatography-electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry in negative mode (LC-ESI-MS/MS). The SPLE extraction conditions were optimized by a Plackett–Burman design followed by a central composite design. Quantitation was performed by standard addition curves in order to correct matrix effects. The analytical features of the method were satisfactory: relative recoveries varied between 94 and 100% and repeatability and intermediate precision were <6% for all compounds. Uncertainty assessment of measurement was estimated on the basis of an in-house validation according to EURACHEM/CITAC guide. Quantitation limits of the method (MQL) ranged between 0.17 (4-n-nonylphenol) and 4.01 ng g⁻¹ dry weight (nonylphenol). Sensitivity, selectivity, automaticity and fastness are the main advantages of this green methodology. As an application, marine sediment samples from Galicia coast (NW of Spain) were analysed. Nonylphenol and 4-tert-octylphenol were measured in all samples at concentrations between 20.1 and 1409 ng g⁻¹ dry weight, respectively. Sediment toxicity was estimated and no risk to aquatic biota was found.     

Simultaneous enantioselective determination of six pesticides in aqueous environmental samples by chiral liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry

A robust and sensitive method was developed for the enantiomeric analysis of six chiral pesticides (including metalaxyl, epoxiconazole, myclobutanil, hexaconazole, napropamide, and isocarbophos) in aquatic environmental samples. The optimized chromatographic conditions for the quantification of all the 12 enantiomers were performed with Chiralcel OD‐RH column using mobile phase consisting of 0.1% aqueous formic acid and acetonitrile operated under reversed‐phase conditions and then analyzed using liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry. Twelve enantiomers were detected in multiple reaction monitoring mode. Solid‐phase extraction and dispersive liquid–liquid microextraction were employed in this study. Response surface methodology was applied to assist in the dispersive liquid–liquid microextraction optimization. Under the optimum conditions, recoveries of pesticides enantiomers varied from 83.0 to 103.2% at two spiked levels with relative standard deviation less than 11.5%. The concentration factors were up to 1000 times. Method detection and quantification limits varied from 0.11 to 0.48 ng/L and from 0.46 to 1.49 ng/L, respectively. Finally, this method was used to determination of the enantiomers composition of the six pesticides in environmental aqueous matrices, which will help better understand the behavior of individual enantiomer and make accurate risk assessment to ecosystems.     

超高压液相色谱质谱联用法同时测定牛肝中七种磺胺类药物

建立了牛肝中7种磺胺类药物残留量的超高压液相色谱质谱联用的测定方法.样品经乙腈提取后经过MCX阳离子交换小柱净化后,利用超高压液相色谱进行检测.方法检出限为0.02 μg/g.7种磺胺类药物的加标回收率为 70.6%～112.5% (添加水平为0.02,0.05,0.1,0.2 μg/g),相对标准偏差为 2.6%～14.3%.同时建立了阳性样品检测的质谱确证方法,能够满足国际上对药物残留的要求.     

Enantioselective determination of acaricide etoxazole in orange pulp,peel, and whole orange by chiral liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry

An efficient enantioselective method for the determination of etoxazole in orange pulp, peel, and whole orange was developed using liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry. The enantioseparation was performed on a Chiralpak AD‐3R column at 30ºC using acetonitrile with 0.1% formic acid solution (80:20, v/v) as the mobile phase in less than 5 min. Quantification was achieved using matrix‐matched standard calibration curves. The overall mean recoveries for two enantiomers from orange pulp and whole orange were 91.0–99.6% and the orange peel was 92.6–103.1%, with relative standard deviations of 0.8–5.4% intraday and 2.0–4.8% interday at 1, 10, and 100 μg/kg levels, and 1.3–5.2% intraday and 3.5–4.3% interday at 5, 50, and 500 μg/kg levels, respectively. The limits of quantification for all enantiomers in three matrices did not exceed 5 μg/kg. Moreover, the absolute configuration of etoxazole enantiomers had been determined by the combination of experimental and predicted electronic circular dichroism spectra, and the first eluted enantiomer was confirmed as (S)‐etoxazole on a Chiralpak AD‐3R column while (R)‐etoxazole was first on three cellulose chiral columns. The application of the proposed method to real sample analysis suggests its potential use in enantioselective determination of etoxazole enantiomers in citrus.     

Separation and identification of oligomeric ethyl silicates by liquid chromatography with electrospray ionization mass spectrometry

Reversed‐phase liquid chromatography coupled with electrospray ionization mass spectrometry was used to study the molecular structures of components and molar mass distributions in ethyl silicate‐40, a versatile liquid precursor for silicon‐based materials. Identity testing by standard spectroscopic techniques showed that a commercial sample of ethyl silicate‐40 was composed of linear/branched ethoxysiloxane oligomers with the silicon atoms ranging from 2 to 12 together with minor monocyclic species. Analysis of the sample by liquid chromatography coupled with evaporative light scattering detection resulted in an elution profile consisting of a series of peak clusters. Peak identification showed that the linear/branched homologous series of oligomers were eluted in the order of increasing number of silicon atoms in the molecules and the time duration (width) of the resulting peak clusters increased in the same fashion corresponding to increasing number of geometric isomers. In addition, small amounts of monocyclic oligomers present in the sample were found to be less retained than each linear/branched counterpart. Finally, the molar mass distribution parameters for ethyl silicate‐40 determined by the developed method were in good agreement with the literature values. Overall, this work demonstrates that reversed‐phase liquid chromatography coupled with electrospray ionization mass spectrometry is an indispensable tool for the comprehensive characterization of complex mixtures of this type.     

Simultaneous determination of cyadox and its metabolites in plasma by high‐performance liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry

Cyadox is a novel antimicrobial growth‐promoter of the quinoxalines. For food safety and pharmacokinetic studies, a convenient, sensitive and reproducible LC‐ESI‐MS/MS method was developed for the simultaneous determination of cyadox and its major metabolites, quinoxaline‐2‐carboxylic acid, 1,4‐bisdesoxycyadox, cyadox‐1‐monoxide and cyadox‐4‐monoxide in chicken plasma. Plasma sample was subjected to a simple deproteinisation with acetonitrile. Analysis was performed on a C₁₈ column by detection with mass spectrometry in multiple reaction monitoring mode. A gradient elution program with 0.2% formic acid, methanol and acetonitrile was performed at a flow rate of 0.2 mL/min. The decision limits (CCαs) of five analytes in plasma ranged from 1.0 to 4.0 μg/L, and the detection capabilities (CCβs) were <10 μg/L. Acceptable precision and accuracy were obtained for concentrations over the standard curve range. The extraction recoveries of five analytes were between 87.4 and 93.9% in plasma at the spiked levels of 5 (10)–200 μg/L with the relative standard deviations <10% for each analyte. The developed method demonstrated a satisfactory applicability in real plasma samples.     

液相色谱-串联质谱法检测贝类产品中的原多甲藻酸贝类毒素

建立了一种贝类组织中原多甲藻酸(azaspiracid, AZA)贝类毒素主要成分AZA1的高效液相色谱-串联质谱检测方法。本方法采用甲醇-水(80:20, v/v)溶液对贝类组织中AZA1进行提取,并用MAX阴离子交换固相萃取(SPE)柱富集净化,使用Atlantis dC18(150 mm×4.6 mm, 5.0 μm)色谱柱分离,以含有50 mmol/L甲酸和2 mmol/L甲酸铵的乙腈-水溶液(80:20, v/v)为流动相进行等度洗脱,质谱采用选择反应监测(SRM)模式。AZA1在5 min内获得完全分离,且在48.85～2 442 ng/L范围内线性良好,相关系数为0.998 1。该方法检出限(S/N=3)为11.00 pg/g,添加水平为36.64、73.27、146.54 pg/g时的平均回收率为75.8%～82.5%(n=6),相对标准偏差小于10%。利用该方法对采自大连、青岛、广州水产品市场上的112个贝类样品进行了分析,发现采自大连和广州的部分贝类样品中含有AZA1。结果表明,该方法具有简单、快速、灵敏度高等特点,能充分满足贝类中AZA1检测的要求。