Evaluation of new selective molecularly imprinted polymers prepared by precipitation polymerisation for the extraction of phenylurea herbicides

Three different molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs) have been prepared by precipitation polymerisation using linuron (LIN) or isoproturon (IPN) (phenylurea herbicides) as templates and methacrylic acid (MAA) or trifluormethacrylic acid (TFMAA) as functional monomers. The ability of the different polymers to selectively rebind not only the template but also other phenylurea herbicides has been evaluated. In parallel, the influence of the different templates and functional monomers used during polymers synthesis on the performance of the obtained MIPs was also studied through different rebinding experiments. The experimental binding isotherms were fitted to the Langmuir-Freundlich isotherm allowing to describe the kind of binding sites present in the imprinted polymers under study. It was concluded that TFMAA-based polymer using IPN as template presents the best properties to be used as a selective sorbent for the extraction of phenylurea herbicides.     

Clean up of phenylurea herbicides in plant sample extracts using molecularly imprinted polymers

Two different molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs) were prepared by precipitation polymerization using linuron or isoproturon (phenylurea herbicides) as templates and trifluormethacrylic acid as functional monomer. These materials were used as selective sorbents in the development of molecularly imprinted solid-phase extraction (MISPE) procedures for the determination of several phenylurea herbicides (fenuron, metoxuron, chlortoluron, isoproturon, metobromuron, and linuron) in plant samples extracts. The MISPE procedures were fully optimized and applied to the clean up of selected phenylurea herbicides in carrot, potato, corn, and pea sample extracts and finally determined by HPLC-UV at 244 nm. Although a high degree of clean up was obtained, a decrease of the MIP recognition capabilities was observed in subsequent runs. Thus, a previous clean up protocol based on the use of a non-imprinted polymer was used to prevent the loss of MIP performance and to ease the removal of interferences. Following this procedure, namely two-step MISPE, matrix compounds were almost completely removed by the non-imprinted polymer retaining the ability of MIPs to selectively rebind target analytes unaltered. The developed MISPE procedures allowed the screening of phenylurea herbicides in plant samples at concentration levels required by established European maximum residue limits.     

Selective molecularly imprinted polymer obtained from a combinatorial library for the extraction of bisphenol A

In the present work, an analytical methodology based on molecularly imprinted solid-phase extraction (MISPE) has been developed for the determination of bisphenol A (BPA) in environmental and food samples. In order to select the optimum material, a combinatorial library of molecularly imprinted polymers in small-scale (mini-MIPs) was prepared using BPA as template. Different monomers (methacrylic acid or 4-vinylpyridine), crosslinkers (ethylene glycol dimethacrylate or trimethylolpropane trimethacrylate) and porogens (methanol, acetonitrile or toluene) were used leading to 24 different polymerisation mixtures. After BPA removal, the ability of mini-MIPs to recognise BPA was evaluated by equilibrium rebinding-elution experiments. The copolymer of 4-vinylpyridine (4-VP) and trimethylolpropane trimethacrylate (TRIM) prepared in toluene showed the higher affinity for the template. Subsequently, a scaled-up version of the optimum polymer was prepared and used in the development of MISPE procedures for the extraction of BPA. The optimised MISPE protocols were successfully applied to the selective extraction of BPA from soils and aqueous canned peas samples.     

Phenylurea herbicides-selective polymer prepared by molecular imprinting using N-(4-isopropylphenyl)-N′-butyleneurea as dummy template

A phenylurea herbicides-selective molecularly imprinted polymer (MIP) was prepared using N-(4-isopropylphenyl)-N′-butyleneurea as a dummy template and toluene as a porogen. The experimental results showed that the optimum molar ratio of template, functional monomer (MAA) and cross-linker (EDMA) was 1:8:20. Scatchard analysis showed that two classes of binding sites were formed in the imprinted polymer with dissociation constants of 26.81 μmol l⁻¹ and 1.428 mmol l⁻¹. The affinity and selectivity of MIP for phenylurea herbicides were studied. Among the 14 phenylurea herbicides tested, the MIP prepared showed obviously high affinity and selectivity for 10 chemicals (monuron, diuron, isoproturon, fenuron, chlortoluron, difenoxuron, metoxuron, neburon, buturon and fluometuron) with dichloromethane containing 10% hexane as mobile phase while non-imprinted polymer showed very low affinity for all the phenylurea herbicides tested. The experimental and calculated results also indicated that the size and property of the group at the N′ position of phenylurea molecules have great influence on the affinity of MIP for them and the recognition site is mainly located at the N′ position of phenylurea herbicides.     

Clean-up of triazines in vegetable extracts by molecularly-imprinted solid-phase extraction using a propazine-imprinted polymer

An analytical methodology based on a molecularly imprinted solid-phase extraction (MISPE) procedure was developed for the determination of several triazines (atrazine, simazine, desethylatrazine (DEA), desisopropylatrazine (DIA), and propazine) in vegetable samples. A methacrylic acid-based imprinted polymer was prepared by precipitation polymerisation using propazine as template and toluene as porogen. After removal of the template by Soxhlet extraction, the optimum loading, washing, and elution conditions for MISPE of the selected triazines were established. The optimised MISPE procedure was applied to the extraction of the selected triazines in pea, potato, and corn sample extracts and a high degree of clean-up was obtained. However, some remaining interferences, non-specifically and strongly bound to the polymeric matrix, appeared in the chromatogram, preventing quantification of DIA in potatoes and DIA, DEA, and propazine in corn samples. Thus, a new clean-up protocol based on the use of a non-imprinted polymer for removal of these interferences prior to the MISPE step was developed. By following the new two-step MISPE procedure, the matrix compounds were almost completely removed, allowing the determination of all the triazines selected at concentration levels below the established maximum residue limits, making the developed procedure suitable for monitoring these analytes in vegetable samples.     

苯基脲类除草剂分子印迹聚合物的合成和识别性能研究

以N-(4-异丙基苯基)-N′-亚丁基脲为模板, 甲基丙烯酸为功能单体, 乙二醇二甲基丙烯酸酯为交联剂制备了分子印迹聚合物(MIP). 研究了MIP对苯基脲类除草剂的亲和性和选择性. 在二氯甲烷流动相中制备的MIP对异丙隆(IP)、 非草隆(FN)、 甲氧隆(MX)、 敌草隆(DU)、 绿麦隆(CT)、 枯莠隆(DF)、 灭草隆(MN)、 草不隆(NB)、 播土隆(BT)和伏草隆(FU)等除草剂呈现出较高的亲和性, 而非印迹聚合物(NIP)对文中所用的14种苯基脲类除草剂均表现出非常低的保留或几乎没有保留. 实验及Mulliken电荷计算的结果显示, 苯基脲除草剂分子中的N′原子是主要的识别位点.     

Molecularly imprinted solid-phase extraction of (-)-ephedrine from Chinese Ephedra

Method of molecularly imprinted solid phase extraction (MISPE) of (-)-ephedrine from Chinese Ephedra has been developed in the research. The molecularly imprinted polymer (MIP) with good selectivity and affinity for (-)-ephedrine was synthesized with (-)-ephedrine as the template, methacrylic acid as the functional monomer. The washing and elution conditions in MISPE were selected and optimized for efficient analyte extraction and sample clean-up. A clean analytical HPLC base line of ephedra extract was obtained after MISPE, which indicated that the sample pre-treatment was efficient. Good recovery and precision were obtained in the assessment for the MISPE-HPLC procedure, which demonstrated it is a reliable method and can be used for the determination of (-)-ephedrine in herbal ephedra.     

Determination of Cotinine in Urine by Molecularly Imprinted Polymer Solid Phase and Liquid–Liquid Extraction Coupled with Gas Chromatography

A comparison between molecularly imprinted solid phase extraction (MISPE) and liquid–liquid extraction (LLE) was performed for cotinine in human urine followed by gas chromatography analysis. The molecularly imprinted polymer (MIP) was synthesized via bulk methodology employing cotinine, methacrylic acid, and ethylene glycol dimethacrylate as template, functional monomer, and cross-linker, respectively. Both methods were validated with good precision and accuracy. The LLE method (limit of quantification = 10 nanograms per milliliter) was slightly more sensitive than the MISPE (limit of quantification = 15 nanograms per milliliter) procedure, but both methods were able to determine cotinine at typical concentrations in urine. An important advantage of the molecularly imprinted polymer approach was its ability to be reused up to at least 100 times. Other advantages of the MISPE include simple manipulation, low solvent consumption, and low worker exposure.     

Novel cyromazine imprinted polymer applied to the solid-phase extraction of melamine from feed and milk samples

A water compatible molecularly imprinted polymer (MIP) using cyromazine as a mimic template, methacrylic acid as the functional polymer and ethylene glycol dimethacrylate as the cross-linker was synthesized and used to extract melamine from feed and milk samples via a molecularly imprinted solid-phase extraction (MISPE) protocol. Optimum retention of melamine on the MISPE cartridge was achieved using methanol, and the interferences in the samples were effectively washed out. The binding capacity of the polymer toward melamine was found to be about 500 μg of melamine/g of polymer. The recoveries of 2 μg and 20 μg melamine standard spiked into water extract of blank feeds and milk samples were between 83.4% and 103%, with relative standard deviation <5.6%. The cyromazine-MIP demonstrated high cross-reactivity for melamine and low affinity to cyanuric acid. The ionic bond interaction was regarded as the main factors that dominated the retention of the melamine on the MISPE cartridge.     

二茂铁甲酸分子印迹聚合物的制备和识别机理、结合特性

以二茂铁甲酸（FCA）为模板,选用不同的功能单体制备了一系列分子印迹聚合物,用平衡结合实验考察了它们对模板分子的结合性能。 结果表明,以甲基丙烯酸为功能单体制得的印迹聚合物P1对模板分子有很好的选择性,特异性吸附量ΔCP为23.18 μmol/g,印迹因子IF为2.33,竞争性结合实验结果表明,P1可以将模板分子从结构类似物中分离出来。 Scatchard方程研究表明,在研究的浓度范围内聚合物中形成了一类等价的结合位点,其对模板分子的平衡离解常数K=1.94 mmol/L,最大表观结合量Cpmax=92.33 μmol/g。 研究还表明,FCA的羧基是在聚合物的孔穴中产生识别位点的功能基,模板分子上的羧基与MAA的羧基形成双重氢键作用是分子识别的主要作用力。     

Molecularly imprinted polymers: An analytical tool for the determination of benzimidazole compounds in water samples

Molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs) for benzimidazole compounds have been synthesized by precipitation polymerization using thiabendazole (TBZ) as template, methacrylic acid as functional monomer, ethyleneglycol dimethacrylate (EDMA) and divinylbenzene (DVB) as cross-linkers and a mixture of acetonitrile and toluene as porogen. The experiments carried out by molecularly imprinted solid phase extraction (MISPE) in cartridges demonstrated the imprint effect in both imprinted polymers. MIP–DVB enabled a much higher breakthrough volume than MIP–EDMA, and thus was selected for further experiments. The ability of this MIP for the selective recognition of other benzimidazole compounds (albendazole, benomyl, carbendazim, fenbendazole, flubendazole and fuberidazole) was evaluated. The obtained results revealed the high selectivity of the imprinted polymer towards all the selected benzimidazole compounds.An off-line analytical methodology based on a MISPE procedure has been developed for the determination of benzimidazole compounds in tap, river and well water samples at concentration levels below the legislated maximum concentration levels (MCLs) with quantitative recoveries. Additionally, an on-line preconcentration procedure based on the use of a molecularly imprinted polymer as selective stationary phase in HPLC is proposed as a fast screening method for the evaluation of the presence of benzimidazole compounds in water samples.     

Molecularly imprinted polymer for selective extraction of endocrine disrupters nonylphenol and its ethoxylated derivates from environmental solids

Nonylphenol isomers (NP), linear nonylphenol (4-n-NP) and NP short chain ethoxylated derivates (NPEO1 and NPEO2) are degradation products of nonylphenol polyethoxylates, a worldwide used group of surfactants. All of them are considered endocrine disrupters due to their ability to mimic natural estrogens. In this paper, the preparation and evaluation of several 4-n-NP molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs) for the selective extraction and clean-up of 4-n-NP, NP, NPEO1 and NPEO2 from complex environmental solid samples is described. Among the different combinations tested, a methacrylic acid-based imprinted polymer prepared in toluene provided the better performance for molecularly imprinted SPE (MISPE). Under optimum MISPE conditions, the polymer was able to selectively retain not only linear NP but also the endocrine disruptors NPEO1, NPEO2 and NP with recoveries ranging from 60 to 100%, depending upon the analyte. The developed MISPE procedure was successfully used for the determination of 4-n-NP, NP, NPEO1 and NPEO2 in sediments and sludge samples at concentration levels according to data reported in the literature for incurred samples. Finally, various sludge samples collected at five different sewage treatment plants from Madrid and commercial sludge for agriculture purposes were analysed. The measured concentrations of the different compounds varied from 3.7 to 107.5 mg/kg depending upon the analyte and the sample.     

Synthesis and characterization of molecularly imprinted polymers for selective solid-phase extraction of pseudoephedrine

Molecular imprinted solid-phase extraction (MISPE) is a well known technique for the selective extraction and pre-concentration of analytes, are present at low levels in chemically complex materials. Herein, water-soluble, molecularly imprinted polymers (MIP) were prepared for solid-phase extraction of pseudoephedrine hydrochloride (PSE), which was monitored at 256 nm by the UV spectroscopy. MISPE conditions were optimized to allow the selective and determination of PSE in aqueous samples and composite materials, such as biological fluids and human urine. MIP was prepared by precipitation polymerization method, using methacrylic acid as a functional monomer and ethylene glycol dimethacrylate as a cross-linking agent in either acetonitrile or chloroform. The results suggest that the obtained MISPE exhibits high affinity for PSE, and the imprinted polymer demonstrates much higher efficiency than a non-imprinted polymer (NIP). The imprinting-induced extraction was confirmed by the determination of recovery values for NIP (4%) and MIP (80%) polymers, respectively. The binding capacity of the MIP for PSE was found of 47.6 mg g⁻¹.     

1-氨基乙内酰脲分子印迹聚合物的制备和吸附性能研究

以1-氨基乙内酰脲(AHD)为模板分子,α-甲基丙烯酸(MAA)为功能单体,乙二醇二甲基丙烯酸酯(EDMA)为交联剂,采用本体聚合方法合成了分子印迹聚合物(M IP),考察了模板分子与功能单体不同比例下制备的M IP对模板分子的吸附性能。通过Scatchard分析,表明该印迹聚合物上存在一类等价的吸附位点,其结合位点的离解常数KD=4.33mmol/L。     

Via protoporphyrin to the synthesis of levofloxacin‐imprinted polymer

A new molecularly imprinted polymer (MIP) for levofloxacin was prepared by the combined use of methacrylic acid and protoporphyrin as functional monomers. The adsorption properties of resultant imprinted polymers were evaluated by equilibrium rebinding experiments. The highest binding capacity of levofloxacin achieved from the optimized imprinted polymer in acetonitrile was 246.26 µmol/g with an imprinting factor of 2.05. A ?uorescence quenching effect was observed when a protoporphyrin‐based imprinted polymer was incubated in the solutions of levofloxacin. The results indicated that the protoporphyrin‐based MIPs were able to create higher binding cavities for template compared with MIPs using only methacrylic acid as a functional monomer. It should be expected that the cooperative use of the protoporphyrin with supplemental different functional monomers may be an alternative to obtain MIP with the improvement of the selectivity. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

环丙沙星分子印迹聚合物的合成及识别性能研究

采用分子印迹技术合成了以环丙沙星为印迹分子,以甲基丙烯酸和4-乙烯基吡啶同时为功能单体的分子印迹聚合物。运用平衡结合实验研究了印迹聚合物的吸附特性和选择识别能力。Scatchard分析表明,在所研究的浓度范围内,分子印迹聚合物中形成了两类不同的结合位点。底物选择实验表明,这种聚合物对环丙沙星呈现高的选择结合能力。     

Chromatographic characteristics of cholesterol-imprinted polymers prepared by covalent and non-covalent imprinting methods

Cholesterol-imprinted polymers were prepared in bulk polymerization by the methods of covalent and non-covalent imprinting. The former involved the use of a template-containing monomer, cholesteryl (4-vinyl)phenyl carbonate, while the latter used the complexes of template and functional monomer, methacrylic acid or 4-vinylpyridine prior to polymerization. Columns packed with these molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs) were all able to separate cholesterol from other steroids. For different combinations of cholesterol and beta-estradiol concentrations in a total of 1 g/l, the peak retention times for both compounds were nearly constant. The adsorption capacity for cholesterol onto the MIPs was found to significantly depend on the use of functional monomers, but the selectivity factors were only slightly different from each other at 2.9 to 3.2 since the separation was all based on the specific binding of cholesterol to recognition sites formed on the imprinted polymers. The capacity factors for cholesterol were determined to be 3.5, 4.0 and 3.1, respectively, for covalently imprinted, 4-vinylpyridine-based, and methacrylic acid-based non-covalently imprinted polymers. However, the covalently imprinted polymer was found to have a higher adsorption capacity for cholesterol and about fivefold higher chromatographic efficiency for cholesterol separation, in comparison with non-covalently imprinted polymers. The use of covalent imprinting significantly reduced the peak broadening and tailing. This advantage along with constant retention suggests that the covalently imprinted polymer has potential for quantitative analysis.     

Molecularly imprinted solid-phase extraction for the selective HPLC determination of ractopamine in pig urine

A method was developed for the determination of ractopamine in pig urine using molecularly imprinted solid-phase extraction (MISPE) as the sample clean-up technique combined with high-performance liquid chromatography. The molecularly imprinted polymer (MIP) was synthesized in acetonitrile-triethylamine system using ractopamine (RAC) as the template and acrylamide as the monomer. The binding capacity of the polymer toward RAC was found to be about 2.57 mg of ractopamine/g of polymer. The optimal procedures for MISPE consisted of conditioning with 3 mL methanol, equilibrating with 3 mL of water, loading volume of <10 mL of aqueous sample (pH 7), washing with 3 mL water and 3 mL methanol, and eluting with 5 mL of 5% ammonia in methanol. In the four spiked samples with the levels of 0.01, 0.1, 1.0 and 5.0 μg/mL, the mean recoveries of analyte on the MIP were higher than 90% with relative standard deviation <10%, and significant differences between imprinted and non-imprinted materials were observed. The MIP selectivity was evaluated by checking 11 drugs with similar and different molecular structures to that of RAC. The characteristics of three-dimensional cavities and hydrogen bond interaction were regarded as the main factors that dominated the retention of RAC on the MISPE cartridge.     

Synthesis and application of molecularly imprinted polymer on selective solid-phase extraction for the determination of monosulfuron residue in soil

A novel sample clean-up procedure using molecularly imprinted polymer as the solid-phase extraction material for the determination of monosulfuron residue in soil samples has been developed. The molecularly imprinted polymer (MIP) was synthesized by non-covalent method with monosulfuron as the template. The selectivity and affinity of the MIP was evaluated by equilibrium adsorption and HPLC experiments, which demonstrated that the MIP has specific affinity for the template. The template-MIP interaction was studied by investigating the influence of different mobile phases on the retention of the template, which provided basic knowledge for the selection of the washing and elution solutions in the molecularly imprinted solid-phase extraction (MISPE) process. The study indicated that polar organic solvents with hydrogen bonding abilities have stronger eluting strength for the monosulfuron. After the MISPE procedure, a clean baseline was obtained in the HPLC quantification analysis. The recoveries of the method using the combination of MISPE and HPLC were above 93% and the R.S.D. was less than 3.2% in the soil sample determinations. Low detection limit (0.08 microg g(-1), when defined as 3 times of the noise) was also obtained in the method evaluation study.     

Design of an imprinted clean-up method for mycophenolic acid in maize

In the present work, the development of imprinted polymers selective towards mycophenolic acid and their application in food analysis are reported for the first time. To synthesize the molecularly imprinted polymer (MIP) 4-vinylpyridine and ethyleneglycol dimethacrylate were applied as functional monomer and cross-linker, respectively. Besides the toxin itself, the implementation of structural analogues as templates was evaluated. A molecularly imprinted solid-phase extraction (MISPE) procedure was designed for the selective clean-up of maize extracts. Binding experiments and Scatchard analysis indicated the presence of specific binding sites in the imprinted polymers. The imprinting effect varied along with the selected template. The dissociation constant (K(D)) of the higher affinity binding sites ranged from 0.8 μmol/l to 15.6 μmol/l, while the K(D) of the lower affinity binding sites was in the range of 138.5-519.3 μmol/l. The performance of the MIPs throughout the clean-up of spiked maize sample extracts was evaluated and compared with the results obtained when applying a non-imprinted polymer. Depending on the polymers and the spiked concentration, recoveries after MISPE and non-imprinted solid-phase extraction varied respectively from 49% to 84% and from 28% to 31%. The imprinted polymers were superior regarding matrix effect, limit of detection (LOD) and limit of quantification (LOQ). LOD ranged from 0.17 μg/kg to 0.25 μg/kg and LOQ varied from 0.57 μg/kg to 0.82 μg/kg. Analysis of 15 maize samples by liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry revealed that the MIPs could be excellent sorbents for clean-up of contaminated food samples.