Development of a simple and fast ultrasound-assisted extraction method for trace element determination in tobacco samples using ICP-MS

The current study describes a simple and fast method for the determination of Ba, Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Mn, Ni and Pb in tobacco samples. Commercial cigarettes obtained from local market stores were analysed by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) after ultrasound-assisted extraction in acidic medium, and the results were compared to those obtained following microwave-assisted digestion of the samples. The sonication time was evaluated from 0 to 60 min, and a 30 min extraction time was selected. The concentration of HNO₃ was also optimised at 0.7 mol L^?1. In order to verify the accuracy of the proposed method, a certified reference material was submitted to the same extraction protocol adopted for the samples, and good agreement with the certified values was obtained at a 95% confidence level, except for Co. The extraction of Pb was also semi-quantitative. A total of four tobacco samples were analysed, with concentrations ranging from 0.4 for Cr to 214.6 µg g^?1 for Mn. The proposed method was demonstrated to be fast, sensitive, precise and accurate for the determination of Ba, Cd, Cr, Cu, Mn an Ni and for the semi-quantitative analysis of Co and Pb in tobacco samples.     

Application of ultrasound-assisted extraction to the determination of contaminants in food and soil samples

The application of ultrasound-assisted extraction (UAE) to the sample preparation of environmental and food samples has increased in the last years. This technique has been used in the development of methods for the analysis of numerous contaminants, including organic compounds (pesticides, pharmaceuticals, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, polyhalogenated flame retardants, etc.) and heavy metals. The aim of this work is to review the application of this extraction procedure to the analysis of contaminants in food and soil and the comparison of its use with other well-established extraction procedures. The advantages and disadvantages of this technique together with the possibility of coupling UAE with other analytical techniques will be also discussed.     

Application of multivariate optimization in the development of an ultrasound-assisted extraction procedure for multielemental determination in bean seeds samples using ICP OES

In this paper, multivariate optimization was applied for the development of an ultrasound-assisted multielemental extraction procedure for analysis of bean samples by inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry. For this procedure, powdered samples were treated with an acid mixture and submitted to ultrasound energy for extracting the target elements (Ba, Ca, Cu, Fe, K, Mg, Mn, Sr and Zn). Centroid simplex mixture design was used for optimize the acid proportions (nitric, acetic and chloride acid) and Box Behnken design was applied for optimize the process variables (particle size, final concentration of extracting solution and sonication time) after mixture optimization. Iron had not presented quantitative extractions and it was excluded from final samples analysis. The developed method presents the follow limits of quantification in μg g^{− 1}: Ba (0.90); Ca (5.2); Cu (4.0); K (0.90); Mg (1.4); Mn (0.22); Sr (0.25) and Zn (4.0). Accuracy was accessed by comparison of determined concentration with the values obtained by the microwave digestion procedure. The proposed method was applied toward the determination of elemental composition in bean samples collected in the country zone from Jequié city located on the Bahia State, Brazil. The trace elements content ranged from 0.21 to 3.04, 3.84 to 10.8, 0.60 to 5.23, 31.0 to 46.5 and 10.8 to 19.6 μg g^{− 1} Ba, Cu, Sr, Zn, Mn, respectively. The major elements content ranged from 0.0418 to 0.0877, 0.109 to 0.153 and 1.30 to 1.56% (w/w) Ca, Mg and K, respectively.     

The determination of uranium in environmental samples using extraction chromatography

Many traditional methods for the determination of actinides in environmental samples have involved several solvent extraction and/or ion exchange steps that separate the radionuclide of interest from the bulk sample matrix. These methods are generally labor-intensive employ hazardous substances and generate considerable volume of toxic wastes. Extraction chromatographic resins have been developed that combine the power and selectivity of solvent extraction with the ease of use of ion exchange chromatographic resin. Some of these extraction chromatographic resins have been developed that will selectively sorb a particular radionuclide or groups of radionuclides from solution. A considerable amount of interest has recently been shown in these resins as they are claimed to be cost-effective in terms of increasing sample throughput, eliminating the need for expensive solvent extractants and being generally safer to handle. One such commercially available resin, U/TEVA.Spec^® will selectively absorb uranium and tetravalent actinides such as thorium and plutonium from an acidic nitrate solution. This paper describes the application of U/TEVA.Spec^® to the determination of uranium in a range of environmental samples.     

Dynamic ultrasound-assisted extraction of catechins and caffeine in some tea samples

A novel dynamic ultrasound-assisted extraction (DUAE) device has been constructed for extraction of five catechins and caffeine in solid sample. The accurate, simple, reproducible and sensitive method for the determination of five catechins and caffeine has been developed and validated. A comparison has been made of the efficiencies by employing DUAE and conventionally static ultrasound-assisted extraction (UAE). The proposed method can not only improve extraction efficiency but also decrease time and solvent consumption. The commercial Chinese tea samples, involving green and black teas, are rapidly analyzed by the proposed DUAE method. The linearity, range, selectivity, precision, accuracy, and robustness also showed acceptable values.     

Continuous ultrasound-assisted extraction coupled to a flow injection-flame atomic absorption spectrometric system for calcium determination in seafood samples

Calcium was extracted on-line from solid seafood samples by a simple and rapid continuous ultrasound-assisted extraction system. This system is connected to a flow injection manifold, which allows the on-line flame atomic absorption spectrometric determination of calcium. This method enables the analysis of solid samples avoiding time-consuming traditional sample preparation methods and their inherent errors. The on-line manifold for calcium determination is the simplest possible, because a volume of 250 L of acid extract is injected into an ultrapure water carrier stream. The acid extract was diluted on-line with lanthanum, which also acts as masking agent in order to avoid chemical interferences. The continuous monitoring of the calcium signal was accomplished by flame atomic absorption spectrometry. A Plackett-Burman experimental design was used for the optimisation of the continuous leaching procedure. The method allowed a total sampling frequency of 40 samples per hour, with a relative standard deviation for the complete procedure of 0.9% (for a sample containing 3414.35 mg/kg calcium (dry mass)). The limit of detection was found to be 44.4 mg/kg (dry mass) for 5 mg of sample. The analytical procedure was applied to real seafood samples.     

Fast on-line ultrasound-assisted extraction coupled to a flow injection-atomic absorption spectrometric system for zinc determination in meat samples

A continuous ultrasound-assisted extraction system connected to a flow injection manifold has been used for the on-line determination of zinc in meat samples by flame atomic absorption spectrometry. An experimental design was used for the optimisation of the continuous manifold. This flow injection methodology allowed a sampling frequency of ca. 80 samples per hour with a relative standard deviation for the whole procedure of 0.3% (for a sample containing 163.6 μg g⁻¹ Zn). The detection limit was 0.6 μg g⁻¹ for a sample amount of 5 mg. Accurate results were obtained by measuring certified reference materials (BCR-186 (pig kidney) and BCR-184 (bovine muscle)). The analytical procedure was applied to different real meat samples with satisfactory results.     

Application of micro-solid-phase extraction for the determination of persistent organic pollutants in tissue samples

A novel, simple and efficient method for determining persistent organic pollutants (POPs) in tissue samples has been developed. This technique involves the use of simultaneous microwave-assisted digestion (MAD) and micro-solid-phase extraction (micro-SPE), in which the sorbent is held within a propylene membrane envelope, with gas chromatographic-mass spectrometric (GC-MS) analysis. The POPs studied included eleven organochlorine pesticides and five polychlorinated biphenyl congeners. Optimization of the MAD-micro-SPE parameters was performed. The relative standard deviations (RSDs) of the method ranged from 0.14 to 12.7%. Correlation coefficients up to 0.9999 were obtained across a concentration range of 1.25-50 ng g(-1). The method detection limits for POPs ranged from 0.002 to 0.009 ng g(-1). A preliminary study applying the MAD-micro-SPE procedure to human ovarian cancer tissue showed that it was capable of detecting the presence of a wide spectrum of different POPs in benign and malignant tumors.     

Selenium determination in biological samples by X-ray emission spectroscopy

Determination of Se in blood serum by PIXE and XRF is presented. Two different sample preparation methods combined with two modes of sample excitation are compared. Both methods are shown to be suitable for Se determination in blood serum and in standard reference materials (horse kidney IAEA H-8 and bovine liver NBS 1577a).     

Molecularly imprinted solid-phase extraction combined with ultrasound-assisted dispersive liquid-liquid microextraction for the determination of four Sudan dyes in sausage samples

A simple and highly selective molecularly imprinted solid-phase extraction (MISPE) combined with ultrasound-assisted dispersive liquid-liquid microextraction (DLLME) was developed for the determination of four Sudan dye (I, II, III, and IV) residues in sausage products. The novel molecularly imprinted microspheres (MIMs) synthesized by aqueous suspension polymerization using phenylamine-naphthol as the dummy template show high affinity to the four Sudan dyes and were applied as selective sorbents of MISPE-DLLME to overcome the drawbacks of template leakage in quantitative analysis. Good linearity was obtained in a range of 0.005-2.0 μg g(-1) and the average recoveries of the four Sudan dyes at three spiked levels ranged from 86.3 to 107.5%. The MISPE-DLLME-HPLC protocol significantly improved the purification and enrichment of the analytes and eliminated the template leakage of the conventional MISPE on quantitative analysis.     

A rapid ultrasound-assisted thiourea extraction method for the determination of inorganic and methyl mercury in biological and environmental samples by CVAAS

A rapid ultrasound-assisted extraction procedure for the determination of total mercury, inorganic and methyl mercury (MM) in various environmental matrices (animal tissues, samples of plant origin and coal fly ash) has been developed. The mercury contents were estimated by cold vapour atomic absorption spectrometry (CVAAS). Inorganic mercury (IM) was determined using SnCl₂ as reducing agent whereas total mercury was determined after oxidation of methyl mercury through UV irradiation. Operational parameters such as extractant composition (HNO₃ and thiourea), sonication time and sonication amplitude found to be different for different matrices and were optimized using IAEA-350 (Fish homogenate), IM and MM loaded moss and NIST-1633b (Coal fly ash) to get quantitative extraction of total mercury. The method was further validated through the analysis of additional certified reference materials (RM): NRCC-DORM2 (Dogfish muscle), NRCC-DOLT1 (Dogfish liver) and IAEA-336 (Lichen). Quantitative recovery of total Hg was achieved using mixtures of 5% HNO₃ and 0.02% thiourea, 10% HNO₃ and 0.02% thiourea, 20% HNO₃ and 0.2% thiourea for fish tissues, plant matrices and coal fly ash samples, respectively. The results obtained were in close agreement with certified values with an overall precision in the range of 5-15%. The proposed ultrasound-assisted extraction procedure significantly reduces the time required for sample treatment for the extraction of Hg species. The extracted mercury species are very stable even after 24 h of sonication. Closed microwave digestion was also used for comparison purposes. The proposed method was applied for the determination of Hg in field samples of lichens, mosses, coal fly ash and coal samples     

Coupling continuous ultrasound-assisted extraction, preconcentration and flame atomic absorption spectrometric detection for the determination of cadmium and lead in mussel samples

Continuous ultrasound-assisted extraction has been coupled with preconcentration and flame atomic absorption spectrometry for the determination of cadmium and lead in mussel samples. Experimental designs were used for the optimisation of the leaching and preconcentration steps. The use of diluted nitric acid as extractant in the continuous mode at a flow rate of 3.5 ml min⁻¹ and room temperature was sufficient for quantitative extraction of these trace metals. A minicolumn containing a chelating resin (Chelite P, with aminomethylphosphoric acid groups) was proved as an excellent material for the quantitative preconcentration of cadmium and lead prior to their flame atomic absorption detection. A flow injection manifold was used as interface for coupling the three analytical steps, which allowed the automation of the whole analytical process. A good precision of the whole procedure (2.0 and 2.3%), high enrichment factors (20.5 and 11.8) and a detection limit of 0.011 and 0.25 μg g⁻¹ for cadmium and lead, respectively, were obtained for 80 mg of sample. The sample throughputs were ca. 16 and 14 samples h⁻¹ for cadmium and lead, respectively. The accuracy of the analytical procedures was verified by using a standard reference material (BCR 278-R, mussel tissue) and the results were in good agreement with the certified values. The method was successfully applied to the determination of trace amounts of cadmium and lead in mussel samples from the coast of Galicia (NW, Spain).     

Sensitive determination of herbicides in food samples by nonaqueous CE using pressurized liquid extraction

We have developed a method involving extraction with mixtures of solvents under pressure (pressurized liquid extraction (PLE)) for the determination of triazine herbicides in a series of samples from the food industry. The organic extracts obtained were subjected to a clean-up step with SPE, using Oasis MCX sorbents, after which they were analyzed by NACE. Potato was chosen as a representative matrix of horticultural products since it has a high water content. Spiked potato samples were used to optimize extraction conditions. In order to compare the results obtained with NACE, different studies were also conducted using HPLC. The detection limits in NACE were similar to those found with HPLC and were of the order of 10-15 microg/kg, depending on the analyte. Satisfactory results were obtained on applying the method proposed for the potato matrix (PLE with separation by electrophoresis) to other food matrices such as other tubercles, fruits, vegetables and cereals.     

超声辅助分散液液微萃取-高效液相色谱测定水样中的4种邻苯二甲酸酯类增塑剂

建立了采用超声辅助分散液液微萃取技术结合高效液相色谱法(UA-DLLME-HPLC)对4种邻苯二甲酸酯(PAEs)进行富集、检测的方法,并成功应用于实际水样分析。实验中采用富集因子来评价萃取效率,考察并优化了影响萃取效率的主要因素,包括萃取剂类型和用量、分散剂类型和用量、超声时间、离子强度、萃取时间和pH值等。结果表明: 在最佳萃取条件下,该法对4种PAEs（邻苯二甲酸二甲酯、邻苯二甲酸二乙酯、邻苯二甲酸二丁酯和邻苯二甲酸二正辛酯）具有较高的富集能力,富集因子分别为71、144、169和159;检出限分别为3.78、1.77、3.07和3.30 μg/L。对实验室自来水、某品牌矿泉水以及湖水分别加标50、200及500 μg/L的回收率为82.99%～114.47%,相对标准偏差为1.93%～8.31%。该法简便、快速、环保,可以用于测定实际水样中的PAEs类增塑剂。     

Rapid and sensitive determination of pyrethroids indoors using active sampling followed by ultrasound-assisted solvent extraction and gas chromatography

A fast and simple method to analyze pyrethroids as well as other components of frequently used domestic insecticide preparations in indoor air is presented. The proposed method, based on sampling with an adsorbent followed by ultrasound-assisted solvent extraction, was developed with the aim to simplify the traditional extraction methodologies applied up to date to determine pesticides in air. The analytes were retained on a very small amount of adsorbent, which allowed using solely 1 mL of solvent for desorption. The quantification was performed by gas chromatography with microelectron-capture detection (GC-muECD) and gas chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry (GC-MS). The influence of main factors involved in the ultrasound-assisted solvent extraction step (type of adsorbent and type of solvent, solvent volume and extraction time) was studied using an experimental design approach to account for possible factor interactions. The sampling step was studied for two adsorbents (Tenax TA and Florisil), finding that 1 m(3) air could be sampled without losses of analytes. In this way, the analysis of pyrethroids in air by the proposed method could be carried out within a total time shorter than an hour, including sampling. Linearity was demonstrated in a wide concentration range. Efficiency of the total sampling-extraction process was studied at several concentration levels (2, 10, 100 and 1000 ng/m(3)), obtaining quantitative recoveries for all compounds, with good precision (RSD < 10%). Method detection limits were below 1 ng/m(3) in air when GC-muECD was employed, and about one order of magnitude higher for GC-MS. In addition, the proposed method was applied to real samples collected in contaminated closed rooms, in which some of the target compounds were determined.     

Comparison of ultrasound-assisted extraction and microwave-assisted digestion for determination of magnesium, manganese and zinc in plant samples by flame atomic absorption spectrometry

In this paper, a sample preparation method based on acid extraction of magnesium, manganese and zinc from plant tissue by means of high intensity probe ultrasonication is described. Acid extracts obtained upon sonication were directly nebulised into an air-acetylene flame for fast metal determination by atomic absorption spectrometry. Parameters influencing extraction such as sonication time, ultrasound amplitude, sample mass, particle size, extractant composition and volume were fully optimised. Optimum conditions for metal extraction were as follows: a 3-min sonication time, a 30% ultrasonic amplitude, a 0.1-g sample mass, a particle size less than 50 mum, a 0.3% m/v HCl concentration in the extractant solution and a 5-ml extractant volume. Six plant samples used in the human diet were analysed, the concentration range of the three metals approximately being in the range of 1500-3000 mug g(-1) for Mg, 30-735 mug g(-1) for Mn and 20-45 mug g(-1) for Zn. Limits of detection corresponding to the ultrasound-assisted extraction method were 0.10, 1.26 and 0.65 mug g(-1) for Mg, Mn and Zn, respectively. Between-batch precision, expressed as R.S.D., was about 0.5, 1.5 and 1% for Mg, Mn and Zn, respectively. Analytical results for the three metals by ultrasound-assisted extraction and microwave-assisted digestion showed a good agreement, thus indicating the possibility of using mild conditions for sample preparation instead of intensive treatments inherent with the digestion method. The advantages and drawbacks of ultrasound-assisted extraction in respect to the microwave-assisted digestion are discussed.     

Methylmercury determination in biological samples using electrothermal atomic absorption spectrometry after acid leaching extraction

An efficient and sensitive method for the determination of methylmercury in biological samples was developed based on acid leaching extraction of methylmercury into toluene. Methylmercury in the organic phase was determined by electrothermal atomic absorption spectrometry (ETAAS). The methylmercury signal was enhanced and the reproducibility increased by formation of certain complexes and addition of Pd-DDC modifier. The complex of methylmercury with DDC produced the optimum analytical signal in terms of sensitivity and reproducibility compared to complexes with dithizone, cysteine, 1,10-phenanthroline, and diethyldithiocarbamate. Method performance was optimized by modifying parameters such as temperature of mineralization, atomization, and gas flow rate. The limit of detection for methylmercury determination was 0.015 μg g⁻¹ and the RSD of the whole procedure was 12% for human teeth samples (n=5) and 15.8% for hair samples (n=5). The method’s accuracy was investigated by using NIES-13 and by spiking the samples with different amounts of methylmercury. The results were in good agreement with the certified values and the recoveries were 88–95%.     

Spectrophotometric determination of saccharin in different materials by a solvent extraction method using Nile Blue as reagent

In a slightly acidic medium (sodium acetate-acetic acid buffer, pH 4) saccharin and Nile Blue form an ion-association compound which is extractable into methyl isobutyl ketone and allows the spectrophotometric determination of saccharin. At 630 nm Beer's law is obeyed over the saccharin concentration range 0.1-3.5 microg/ml in the aqueous phase and the apparent molar absorptivity is 5.8 x 10(4) l.mole(-1).cm(-1). The method shows good selectivity and can be applied to the determination of saccharin in artificial sweeteners, soft drinks and toothpastes.     

Simultaneous determination nucleosides in marine organisms using ultrasound-assisted extraction followed by hydrophilic interaction liquid chromatography-electrospray ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry

A new method has been developed based on ultrasound-assisted extraction (UAE) followed by hydrophilic interaction chromatography (HILIC) and electrospray ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (ESI-TOF/MS) for the simultaneous determination of 16 nucleosides and nucleobases in medicinal extracts of various marine organisms. The separation was achieved on a Venusil HILIC column (250×4.6 mm id, 5 μm) and gradient elution using a solution of acetonitrile and buffer (0.20% formic acid and 20 mmol/L ammonium acetate) as the mobile phase. Identification of the 16 target nucleosides and nucleobases was based on the retention time, UV spectra, and mass measurements of the protonated molecules ([M+H](+)) and main fragment ions (ESI-TOF/MS). In addition, non-target compounds of 2'-deoxyinosine and four other amino acids were also tentatively identified by ESI-TOF/MS. The 16 target compounds were quantified by HILIC-ESI-TOF/MS under optimized mass conditions. All calibration curves showed good linearity (r(2)>0.9951). The recoveries were 84.72-124.10%, and the limits of detection of the 16 target compounds were 0.6-130.0 ng/mL. The developed method was applied to quantify the target compounds in 15 batches of various marine organisms. The method has potential applicability for the identification and determination of highly polar and low-concentration active compounds in marine organisms.     

Ion pair-based dispersive liquid-liquid microextraction for gold determination at ppb level in solid samples after ultrasound-assisted extraction and in waters by electrothermal-atomic absorption spectrometry

A new methodology was developed for the determination of ultratrace levels of gold in water samples, soils and river sediments. Dispersive liquid-liquid microextraction was used to preconcentrate the ion pair formed between AuCl₄⁻ and [CH₃(CH₂)₃]₄N⁺ in a microliter-range volume of chlorobenzene using acetone as disperser solvent. When solid samples were analyzed, the method consisted of a combination of ultrasound-assisted extraction and dispersive liquid-liquid microextraction with final detection by electrothermal-atomic absorption spectrometry. Since an HCl medium was required for the formation of the AuCl₄⁻ complex, HCl together with HNO₃ was used as extractants for ultrasound-assisted extraction. After optimization, the enrichment factor obtained was 220 for water samples. Moreover, the extraction efficiency was around 96%. The repeatability, expressed as relative standard deviation ranged from 3.6% to 9.7%. The instrumental detection limit was 8.4 ng L⁻¹, whereas the procedural detection limits were 42 ng L⁻¹ for water samples and 1.5 ng g⁻¹ for environmental solid samples.