Optimization of Polyurethane Foams for Enhanced Stir Bar Sorptive Extraction of Triazinic Herbicides in Water Matrices

In this work, polyurethane foams (PU) were developed, characterized and applied as new generation polymeric phases for stir bar sorptive extraction (SBSE) using seven triazinic herbicides (simazine, atrazine, prometon, ametryn, propazine, prometryn and terbutryn) as model compounds in water matrices. Assays performed for PU synthesis and characterization demonstrated that seven formulations presented remarkable stability and excellent mechanical and chemical resistance, for which the P₆ formulation showed the best results. By performing systematic assays on 25 mL of water samples spiked at the 10 μg/L level, it was established that the best experimental conditions using stir bars coated with P₆ were an equilibrium time of 6 h (1250 rpm), 5% of methanol as organic modifier, followed by liquid desorption with methanol as back extraction solvent under ultrasonic treatment (20 min) and high performance liquid chromatography with diode array detection (SBSE(PU)-LD-HPLC-DAD). This methodology provided good recoveries (20.4-62.0%) and remarkable reproducibility (R.S.D. <7.0%). Furthermore, excellent linear dynamic ranges between 0.9 and 16.7 μg/L (r² > 0.9949) and detection limits (0.1-0.5 μg/L) at trace level were also achieved. The application of the proposed analytical approach to analyze triazinic herbicides in ground and superficial water matrices, showed remarkable performance and by using the standard addition methodology the matrix effects are negligible. By comparing the best PU formulation (P₆, 71 μL) with commercial stir bars coated with PDMS (126 μL), recoveries normalized to the polymeric volume up to five times higher (atrazine) were attained. The ability of PU foams to extract the more polar compounds rather than PDMS makes this polymer a very valuable contribution for SBSE.     

Development and application of stir bar sorptive extraction with polyurethane foams for the determination of testosterone and methenolone in urine matrices

This work describes the development, validation, and application of a novel methodology for the determination of testosterone and methenolone in urine matrices by stir bar sorptive extraction using polyurethane foams [SBSE(PU)] followed by liquid desorption and high-performance liquid chromatography with diode array detection. The methodology was optimized in terms of extraction time, agitation speed, pH, ionic strength and organic modifier, as well as back-extraction solvent and desorption time. Under optimized experimental conditions, convenient accuracy were achieved with average recoveries of 49.7 8.6% for testosterone and 54.2 ± 4.7% for methenolone. Additionally, the methodology showed good precision (<9%), excellent linear dynamic ranges (>0.9963) and convenient detection limits (0.2-0.3 μg/L). When comparing the efficiency obtained by SBSE(PU) and with the conventional polydimethylsiloxane phase [SBSE(PDMS)], yields up to four-fold higher are attained for the former, under the same experimental conditions. The application of the proposed methodology for the analysis of testosterone and methenolone in urine matrices showed negligible matrix effects and good analytical performance.     

Cork-based activated carbons as supported adsorbent materials for trace level analysis of ibuprofen and clofibric acid in environmental and biological matrices

In this contribution, powdered activated carbons (ACs) from cork waste were supported for bar adsorptive micro-extraction (BAμE), as novel adsorbent phases for the analysis of polar compounds. By combining this approach with liquid desorption followed by high performance liquid chromatography with diode array detection (BAμE(AC)-LD/HPLC-DAD), good analytical performance was achieved using clofibric acid (CLOF) and ibuprofen (IBU) model compounds in environmental and biological matrices. Assays performed on 30 mL water samples spiked at the 25.0 μg L(-1) level yielded recoveries around 80% for CLOF and 95% for IBU, under optimized experimental conditions. The ACs textural and surface chemistry properties were correlated with the results obtained. The analytical performance showed good precision (<15%), suitable detection limits (0.24 and 0.78 μg L(-1) for CLOF and IBU, respectively) and good linear dynamic ranges (r(2)>0.9922) from 1.0 to 600.0 μg L(-1). By using the standard addition methodology, the application of the present approach to environmental water and urine matrices allowed remarkable performance at the trace level. The proposed methodology proved to be a viable alternative for acidic pharmaceuticals analysis, showing to be easy to implement, reliable, sensitive and requiring low sample volume to monitor these priority compounds in environmental and biological matrices.     

Multiresidue analysis of acidic and polar organic contaminants in water samples by stir-bar sorptive extraction-liquid desorption-gas chromatography-mass spectrometry

The feasibility of stir-bar sorptive extraction (SBSE) followed by liquid desorption in combination with large volume injection (LVI)-in port silylation and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) for the simultaneous determination of a broad range of 46 acidic and polar organic pollutants in water samples has been evaluated. The target analytes included phenols (nitrophenols, chlorophenols, bromophenols and alkylphenols), acidic herbicides (phenoxy acids and dicamba) and several pharmaceuticals. Experimental variables affecting derivatisation yield and peak shape as a function of different experimental PTV parameters [initial injection time, pressure and temperature and the ratio solvent volume/N-(tert-butyldimethylsilyl)-N-methyltrifluoroacetamide (MTBSTFA) volume] were first optimised by an experimental design approach. Subsequently, SBSE conditions, such as pH, ionic strength, agitation speed and extraction time were investigated. After optimisation, the method failed only for the extraction of most polar phenols and some pharmaceuticals, being suitable for the determination of 37 (out of 46) pollutants, with detection limits for these analytes ranging between 1 and 800 ng/L and being lower than 25 ng/L in most cases. Finally, the developed method was validated and applied to the determination of target analytes in various aqueous environmental matrices, including ground, river and wastewater. Acceptable accuracy (70-130%) and precision values (<20%) were obtained for most analytes independently of the matrix, with the exception of some alkylphenols, where an isotopically labelled internal standard would be required in order to correct for matrix effects. Among the drawbacks of the method, carryover was identified as the main problem even though the Twisters were cleaned repeatedly.     

Development, optimisation and application of polyurethane foams as new polymeric phases for stir bar sorptive extraction

In this contribution, polyurethane foams are proposed as new polymeric phases for stir bar sorptive extraction (SBSE). Assays performed for polyurethane synthesis demonstrated that four series of formulations (P(1), P(2), P(3) and P(4)) present remarkable stability and excellent mechanical resistance to organic solvents. For polymer clean-up treatment, acetonitrile proved to be the best solvent under sonification, ensuring the reduction of the contamination and interferences. SBSE assays performed on these polyurethane polymers followed by liquid desorption and high-performance liquid chromatography-diode array detection (LD-HPLC-DAD) or large volume injection-capillary gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (LD-LVI-GC-MS), showed that P(2) presents the best recovery yields for atrazine, 2,3,4,5-tetrachlorophenol and fluorene, used as model compounds in water samples at a trace level. SBSE(P(2)) assays performed on this polymer mixed up with several adsorbent materials, i.e. activated carbon, a mesoporous material and a calixarene, did not bring any advantages in relation with the polymeric matrix alone. The comparison between assays performed by SBSE(P(2)) and by the conventional SBSE(PDMS) showed much better performance for the former phase on aqueous samples spiked with atrazine, 2,3,4,5-tetrachlorophenol and fluorene, in which the foremost two analytes present recovery values 3- and 10-fold higher, respectively. The polyurethanes proposed as new polymeric phases for SBSE provided powerful capabilities for the enrichment of organic compounds from aqueous matrices, showing to be indicated mainly in the case of the more polar analytes.     

Stir bar sorptive extraction and comprehensive two-dimensional gas chromatography coupled to high-resolution time-of-flight mass spectrometry for ultra-trace analysis of organochlorine pesticides in river water

A method for the determination of ultra-trace amounts of organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) in river water was developed by using stir bar sorptive extraction (SBSE) followed by thermal desorption and comprehensive two-dimensional gas chromatography coupled to high-resolution time-of-flight mass spectrometry (SBSE-TD-GC×GC-HRTOF-MS). SBSE conditions such as extraction time profiles, phase ratio (β: sample volume/polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) volume), and modifier addition, were examined. Fifty milli-liter sample including 10% acetone was extracted for 3 h using stir bars with a length of 20 mm and coated with a 0.5 mm layer of PDMS (PDMS volume, 47 μL). The stir bar was thermally desorbed and subsequently analyzed by GC×GC-HRTOF-MS. The method showed good linearity over the concentration range from 50 to 1000 pg L(-1) or 2000 pg L(-1) for all analytes, and the correlation coefficients (r(2)) were greater than 0.9903 (except for β-HCH, r(2)=0.9870). The limit of detection (LOD) ranged from 10 to 44 pg L(-1). The method was successfully applied to the determination of 16 OCPs at pg L(-1) to ng L(-1) in river water. The results agree fairly well with the values obtained by a conventional liquid-liquid extraction (LLE)-GC-HRMS (selected ion monitoring: SIM) method using large sample volume (20 L). The method also allows screening of non-target compounds, e.g. pesticides and their degradation products, polyaromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), and pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs) and metabolites in the same river water sample, by using full spectrum acquisition with accurate mass in GC×GC.     

Determination of glyoxal and methylglyoxal in environmental and biological matrices by stir bar sorptive extraction with in-situ derivatization

Stir bar sorptive extraction with in-situ derivatization using 2,3-diaminonaphthalene (DAN) followed by liquid desorption and high performance liquid chromatography with diode array detection (SBSE(DAN)in-situ-LD-HPLC-DAD) was developed for the determination of glyoxal (Gly) and methylglyoxal (MGly) in environmental and biological matrices. DAN proved very good specificity as in-situ derivatising agent for Gly and MGly in aqueous media, allowing the formation of adducts with remarkable sensitivity, selectivity and the absence of photodegradation. Assays performed on spiked (1.0 microg L(-1)) water samples, under convenient experimental conditions, yielded recoveries of 96.2+/-7.9% for Gly and 96.1+/-6.4% for MGly. The analytical performance showed good accuracy, suitable precision (<12.0%), low detection limits (15 ng L(-1) for Gly and 25 ng L(-1) for MGly adducts) and excellent linear dynamic ranges (r2>0.99) from 0.1 to 120.0 microg L(-1). By using the standard addition method, the application of the present method to tap and swimming-pool water, beer, yeast cells suspension and urine samples allowed very good performance at the trace level. The proposed methodology proved to be a feasible alternative for routine quality control analysis, showing to be easy to implement, reliable, sensitive and with a low sample volume requirement to monitor Gly and MGly in environmental and biological matrices.     

Combining stir bar sorptive extraction and MEKC for the determination of polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons in environmental and biological matrices

In this work, stir bar sorptive extraction and liquid desorption was combined with MEKC and diode-array detection (SBSE-LD-MEKC-DAD) for the determination of polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in aqueous medium, using biphenyl, fluorene, anthracene, phenanthrene, fluoranthene and pyrene as model compounds. MEKC-DAD conditions and parameters affecting SBSE-LD efficiency are fully discussed. Assays performed on aqueous samples spiked at trace levels, yielded recoveries ranging from 55.5 +/- 6.1% (pyrene) to 70.7 +/- 7.1% (anthracene), under optimized experimental conditions. The methodology proved to be nearly described by the octanol-water partition coefficients (K(PDMS/W) approximately K(O/W)). The analytical performance showed good precision (<12.0%), suitable detection limits (2-11 microg/L) and convenient linear dynamic ranges (r(2)>0.99) from 5 to 25 microg/L for anthracene and 25 to 125 microg/L for the remaining compounds. The application of the proposed methodology to environmental water, sediments and fish bile matrices demonstrated good selectivity and accuracy. SBSE-LD combined with MEKC-DAD was shown to be an easy, reliable and robustness methodology, as well as a good analytical alternative to monitor environmental priority pollutants.     

Potentialities of polyurethane foams for trace level analysis of triazinic metabolites in water matrices by stir bar sorptive extraction

Polyurethane (PU) foams were applied for stir bar sorptive extraction of five triazinic metabolites (desethyl-2-hydroxyatrazine, desisopropylatrazine, desethylatrazine, 2-hydroxyatrazine and desethylterbuthylazine) in water matrices, followed by liquid desorption and high performance liquid chromatography with diode array detection (SBSE(PU)-LD/HPLC-DAD). The optimum conditions for SBSE(PU)-LD were 5 h of extraction (1000 rpm) and 5% (v/v) of methanol for the analysis of desethyl-2-hydroxyatrazine and 2-hydroxyatrazine, 15% (w/v) of sodium chloride for the remaining compounds and acetonitrile as back-extraction solvent (5 mL) under ultrasonic treatment (60 min). The methodology provided recoveries up to 26.3%, remarkable precision (RSD < 2.4%), excellent linear dynamic ranges between 5.0 and 122.1 μg/L (r² > 0.9993) and convenient detection limits (0.4-1.3 μg/L). The proposed method was applied in the analysis of triazinic metabolites in tap, river and ground waters, with remarkable performance and negligible matrix effects. The comparison of the recoveries obtained by PU and commercial stir bars was also performed, where the yields achieved with the former were up to ten times higher proving that PU is appropriate for analysis at trace level of this type of polar compounds in water matrices.     

Do complex matrices modify the sorptive properties of polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) for non-polar organic chemicals?

The partitioning of non-polar analytes into the silicone polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) is the basis for many analytical approaches such as solid phase microextraction (SPME), stir bar sorptive extraction (SBSE) and environmental passive sampling. Recently, the methods have been applied to increasingly complex sample matrices. The present work investigated the possible effect of complex matrices on the sorptive properties of PDMS. First, SPME fibers with a 30 μm PDMS coating were immersed in 15 different matrices, including sediment, suspensions of soil and humic substances, mayonnaise, meat, fish, olive oil and fish oil. Second, the surface of the fibers was wiped clean, and together with matrix-free control fibers, they were exposed via headspace to 7 non-polar halogenated organic chemicals in spiked olive oil. The fibers were then solvent-extracted, analyzed, and the ratios of the mean concentrations in the matrix-immersed fibers to the control fibers were determined for all matrices. These ratios ranged from 92% to 112% for the four analytes with the highest analytical precision (i.e. polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) 3, 28, 52 and brominated diphenyl ether (BDE) 3), and they ranged from 74% to 133% for the other three compounds (i.e. PCBs 101, 105 and γ-hexachlorocyclohexane (HCH)). We conclude that, for non-polar, hydrophobic chemicals, the sorptive properties of the PDMS were not modified by the diverse investigated media and consequently that PDMS is suited for sampling of these analytes even in highly complex matrices.     

Multiresidue methods for the analysis of pharmaceuticals,personal care products and illicit drugs in surface water and wastewater by solid-phase extraction and ultra performance liquid chromatography–electrospray tandem mass spectrometry

The main aim of the presented research is to introduce a new technique, ultra performance liquid chromatography-positive/negative electrospray tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC-ESI/MS/MS), for the development of new simultaneous multiresidue methods (over 50 compounds). These methods were used for the determination of multiple classes of pharmaceuticals (acidic, basic and neutral compounds: analgesic/anti-inflammatory drugs, antibiotics, antiepileptics, beta-adrenoceptor blocking drugs, lipid regulating agents, etc.), personal care products (sunscreen agents, preservatives, disinfectant/antiseptics) and illicit drugs (amphetamine, cocaine and benzoylecgonine) in surface water and wastewater. The usage of the novel UPLC system with a 1.7 microm particle-packed column allowed for good resolution of analytes with the utilisation of low mobile phase flow rates (0.05-0.07 mL min(-1)) and short retention times (method times of up to 25 min), delivering a fast and cost-effective method. SPE with the usage of Oasis MCX strong cation-exchange mixed-mode polymeric sorbent was chosen for sample clean-up and concentration. The influence of mobile phase composition, matrix-assisted ion suppression in ESI-MS and SPE recovery on the sensitivity of the method was extensively studied. The method limits of quantification were at low nanogram per litre levels and ranged from tenths of ng L(-1) to tens of ng L(-1) in surface water and from single ng L(-1) to a few hundreds of ng L(-1) in the case of wastewater. The instrumental and method intraday and interday repeatabilities were on average less than 5%. The method was successfully applied for the determination of pharmaceuticals in the River Taff (South Wales) and a wastewater treatment plant (WWTP Cilfynydd). Several pharmaceuticals and personal care products were determined in river water at levels ranging from single ng L(-1) to single microg L(-1).     

Quantitative analysis of phosphoric acid esters in aqueous samples by isotope dilution stir-bar sorptive extraction combined with direct analysis in real time (DART)-Orbitrap mass spectrometry

A novel hyphenated technique, namely the combination of stir bar sorptive extraction (SBSE) with isotope dilution direct analysis in real time (DART) Orbitrap™ mass spectrometry (OT-MS) is presented for the extraction of phosphoric acid alkyl esters (tri- (TnBP), di- (HDBP), and mono-butyl phosphate (H2MBP)) from aqueous samples. First, SBSE of phosphate esters was performed using a Twister™ coated with 24 μL of polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) as the extracting phase. SBSE was optimized for extraction pH, phase ratio (PDMS volume/aqueous phase volume), stirring speed, extraction time and temperature. Then, coupling of SBSE to DART/Orbitrap-MS was achieved by placing the Twister™ in the middle of an open-ended glass tube between the DART and the Orbitrap™. The DART mass spectrometric response of phosphate esters was probed using commercially available and synthesized alkyl phosphate ester standards. The positive ion full scan spectra of alkyl phosphate triesters (TnBP) was characterized by the product of self-protonation [M + H]⁺ and, during collision-induced dissociation (CID), the major fragmentation ions corresponded to consecutive loss of alkyl chains. Negative ionization gave abundant [M − H]⁻ ions for both HDnBP and H2MnBP. Twisters™ coated with PDMS successfully extracted phosphate acid esters (tri-, di- and mono-esters) granted that the analytes are present in the aqueous solution in the neutral form. SBSE/DART/Orbitrap-MS results show a good linearity between the concentrations and relative peak areas for the analytes in the concentration range studied (0.1–750 ng mL⁻¹). Reproducibility of this SBSE/DART/Orbitrap-MS method was evaluated in terms of %RSD by extracting a sample of water fortified with the analytes. The %RSDs for TnBP, HDnBP and H₂MnBP were 4, 3 and 3% (n = 5) using the respective perdeuterated internal standards. Matrix effects were investigated by matrix matched calibration standards using underground water samples (UWS) and river water samples (RWS). Matrix effects were effectively compensated by the addition of the perdeuterated internal standards. The application of this new SBSE/DART/Orbitrap-MS method should be very valuable for on-site sampling/monitoring, limiting the transport of large volumes of water samples from the sampling site to the laboratory.     

Simultaneous solid-phase extraction of acidic, neutral and basic pharmaceuticals from aqueous samples at ambient (neutral) pH and their determination by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry

Seven polymeric solid-phase extraction (SPE) sorbents were evaluated with regard to their ability to extract acidic, neutral and basic pharmaceuticals and estrogens simultaneously from water at neutral pH. Highest recoveries (70-100%) for the majority of the analytes were obtained with styrene-methacrylate and styrene-N-vinylpyrrolidone co-polymers. The latter one (Oasis HLB) was chosen for further refinement of an extraction method for the quantitative determination of acidic and neutral drugs in surface water samples at detection limits below 1 ng/l. A sequential elution protocol was applied for clean-up and separation of the extracted analytes into fractions suitable for further compound specific processing. The neutral analytes as well as the acidic compounds after derivatisation were quantified by GC-MS. Caffeine, ibuprofen, its metabolites and diclofenac were detected in river water samples in the 1-100 ng/l range.     

Determination of anti-inflammatory drugs and estrogens in water by HPLC with UV detection

An analytical method based on LC and UV detection has been developed for the determination of anti-inflammatory compounds and estrogens in water samples. The drugs investigated were diclofenac, ketoprofen, ibuprofen, naproxen, clofibric acid, estriol, 17beta-estradiol, estrone and ethynylestradiol. The detection limits were in the range of 6-74 microg/L and 0.041 -0.16 mg/L for acidic pharmaceuticals and estrogens, respectively, using narrow-bore C18 analytical column. Analyte enrichment from water samples was achieved by SPE procedure using polymeric Strata-X cartridges. Average recoveries obtained from 2.5 L of surface water sample were in the range of 77-98%.     

Polydimethylsiloxane/polypyrrole stir bar sorptive extraction and liquid chromatography (SBSE/LC-UV) analysis of antidepressants in plasma samples

A new polymeric coating consisting of a dual-phase, polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) and polypyrrole (PPY) was developed for the stir bar sorptive extraction (SBSE) of antidepressants (mirtazapine, citalopram, paroxetine, duloxetine, fluoxetine and sertraline) from plasma samples, followed by liquid chromatography analysis (SBSE/LC-UV). The extractions were based on both adsorption (PPY) and sorption (PDMS) mechanisms. SBSE variables, such as extraction time, temperature, pH of the matrix, and desorption time were optimized, in order to achieve suitable analytical sensitivity in a short time period. The PDMS/PPY coated stir bar showed high extraction efficiency (sensitivity and selectivity) toward the target analytes. The quantification limits (LOQ) of the SBSE/LC-UV method ranged from 20 ng mL⁻¹ to 50 ng mL⁻¹, and the linear range was from LOQ to 500 ng mL⁻¹, with a determination coefficient higher than 0.99. The inter-day precision of the SBSE/LC-UV method presented a variation coefficient lower than 15%. The efficiency of the SBSE/LC-UV method was proved by analysis of plasma samples from elderly depressed patients.     

Occurrence,fate and removal efficiencies of pharmaceuticals in wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) discharging in the coastal environment of Algiers

In the last few decades, the presence of pharmaceutical products in the environment is known under the name of emerging contaminants. These substances can enter the aquatic environment via different sources, as parent compounds, metabolites or a combination of both. In this work, we have investigated the presence of four pharmaceutical active compounds belonging to the group of Non-Steroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs (NSAIDs), in wastewater, surface water and drinking water of Algiers, which have a direct impact on the Mediterranean Sea. The target analytes (ibuprofen (IBU), naproxen (NAP), ketoprofen (KET), and diclofenac (DIC)), were extracted from the water samples by using Solid Phase Extraction Oasis^® HLB Cartridges; the identification and quantification were realized by Gas Chromatography–Mass Spectrometry (GC–MS). To obtain the best resolution and precision, N-methyl-N-(trimethylsilyl) trifluoroacetamide (MSTFA) was used as the derivatization reagent and ibuprofen-d₃ was used as the internal standard. The obtained recoveries were good, ranging from 82% for ketoprofen to 120% for naproxen with relatively small standard deviations (≤20%). The target compounds were detected in wastewater, influent/effluent with concentrations ranging from 155.5 to 6554 ng/L, implicating removal efficiencies of wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs), between 30.3 and 95%. The surface water was also contaminated with pharmaceuticals from 72.9 ng/L for diclofenac to 228.3 ng/L for naproxen. In addition, the occurrence of ibuprofen and ketoprofen in drinking water, at concentrations of 142.1 and 110.9 ng/L, respectively, attracts concerns about possible impacts on human health.     

Innovative combination of QuEChERS extraction with on-line solid-phase extract purification and pre-concentration,followed by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry for the determination of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs and their metabolites in sewage sludge

For the first time QuEChERS extraction of sewage sludge was combined with the automatic solid-phase pre-concentration and purification of the extract (following indicated as SPE) and LC-MS/MS analysis, for the determination of the non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs acetylsalicylic acid (ASA), diclofenac (DIC), fenbufen (FEN), flurbiprofen (FLU), ketoprofen (KET), ibuprofen (IBU) and naproxen (NAP), and their metabolites salicylic acid (SAL), 4′-hydroxydiclofenac (4′-HYDIC), 1-hydroxyibuprofen (1-HYIBU), 2-hydroxyibuprofen (2-HYIBU), 3-hydroxyibuprofen (3-HYIBU) and o-desmethylnaproxen (O-DMNAP). Various commercial pellicular stationary phases (i.e. silica gel functionalized with octadecyl, biphenyl, phenylhexyl and pentafluorophenyl groups) were preliminarily investigated for the resolution of target analytes and different sorbent phases (i.e. octyl or octadecyl functionalized silica gel and a polymeric phase functionalized with N-benzylpyrrolidone groups) were tested for the SPE phase. The optimized method involves the QuEChERS extraction of 1 g of freeze-dried sludge with 15 mL of water/acetonitrile 1/2 (v/v), the SPE of the extract with the N-benzylpyrrolidone polymeric phase and the water/acetonitrile gradient elution on the pentafluorophenyl stationary phase at room temperature. Matrix effect was always suppressive and in most cases low, being it ≤20% for ASA, DIC, FLU, KET, IBU, 1-HYIBU, 2-HYIBU, 3-HYIBU, NAP and O-DMNAP, and included in the range of 35–47% for the other analytes. Recoveries were evaluated at three spiking levels, evidencing almost quantitative values for HYIBUs and O-DMNAP; for ASA, SAL and KET the recoveries were included in between 50 and 76%, whereas for the other compounds they ranged from 36% to 55%. The proposed method showed better analytical performances than those so far published, being suitable for target compound determination in real samples from tens of pg g⁻¹ to ng g⁻¹ of freeze-dried sludge, with a total analysis time of 30 min per sample.     

Stir bar sorptive extraction and high-performance liquid chromatography-fluorescence detection for the determination of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in Mate teas

A simple procedure based on stir bar sorptive extraction (SBSE) and high-performance liquid chromatography-fluorescence detection (HPLC-FLD) is presented for the determination of 15 polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in herbal tea prepared with Mate leaves (Ilex paraguariensis St. Hil.). The influence of methanol and salt addition to the samples, the extraction time, the desorption time and the number of desorption steps, as well as the matrix effect, were investigated. Once the SBSE method was optimised (10 mL of Mate tea, 2h extraction at room temperature followed by 15 min desorption in 160 microL of an acetonitrile (ACN)-water mixture), analytical parameters such as repeatability (< or = 10.1%), linearity (r2 > or = 0.996), limit of detection (LOD, 0.1-8.9 ng L(-1) ), limit of quantitation (LOQ, 0.3-29.7 ng L(-1) and absolute recovery (24.2-87.0%) were determined. For calibration purposes, a reference sample was firstly obtained by removing the analytes originally present in the lowest contaminated Mate tea studied (via SBSE procedure) and then spiked at 1-1200 ng L(-1)range. The proposed methodology proved to be very convenient and effective, and was successfully applied to the analysis of 11 Mate tea samples commercialised in Brazil. The results of the commercial Mate tea samples found by the SBSE approach were compared with those obtained by liquid-liquid extraction (LLE), showing good agreement.     

High-performance liquid chromatography coupled to direct analysis in real time mass spectrometry: investigations on gradient elution and influence of complex matrices on signal intensities

Direct analysis in real time (DART) time-of-flight mass spectrometry (TOF-MS) has been tested for its suitability as a detector for gradient elution HPLC. Thereby a strong dependency of signal intensity on the amount of organic solvent present in the eluent could be observed. Adding a make-up liquid (iso-propanol) post-column to the HPLC effluent greatly enhanced detection limits for early eluting compounds. Limits of detection achieved employing this approach were in the range of 7-27 μg L(-1) for the parabene test mixture and 15-87 μg L(-1) for the pharmaceuticals. In further investigations DART ionization was compared to several other widely used atmospheric pressure ionization methods with respect to signal suppression phenomena occurring in when samples with problematic matrices are analyzed. For this purpose extracts from environmental and waste water samples were selected as model matrices which were subsequently spiked with a set of six substances commonly present in personal care products as well as six pharmaceuticals at concentration levels between 100 μg L(-1) and 500 μg L(-1) corresponding to 100 ng L(-1) and 500 ng L(-1) respectively in the original sample. With ionization suppression of less than 11% for most analytes investigated, DART ionization showed similar to even somewhat superior behavior compared to atmospheric pressure chemical ionization (APCI) and atmospheric pressure photo ionization (APPI) for the Danube river water extract; for the more challenging matrix of the sewage plant effluent extract DART provided better results with ion suppression being less than 11% for 9 out of 12 analytes while values for APCI were lying between 20% and >90%. Electrospray ionization (ESI) was much more affected by suppression effects than DART with values between 26% and 80% for Danube river water; in combination with the sewage plant effluent matrix suppression >50% was observed for all analytes.     

Stir bar sorptive extraction based on restricted access material for the direct extraction of caffeine and metabolites in biological fluids

A biocompatible stir bar sorptive extraction (SBSE) device was prepared using an alkyl-diol-silica (ADS) restricted access material (RAM) as the SBSE coating. The RAM-SBSE bar was able to simultaneously fractionate the protein component from a biological sample, while directly extracting caffeine and its metabolites, overcoming the present disadvantages of direct sampling in biological matrices by SBSE, such as fouling of the extraction coating by proteins. Desorption of the analytes was performed by stirring the bar in a water/ACN mixture (3/1, v/v) and subsequently reconcentrating the sample solution in water to enable HPLC-UV analysis to be performed. The limit of detection, based on a signal to noise ratio of 3, for caffeine was 25 ng/mL in plasma. The method was confirmed to be linear over the range of 0.5-100 microg/mL of caffeine with an average linear coefficient (R2) value of 0.9981. The injection repeatability and intra-assay precision of the method were evaluated over ten injections, resulting in a %RSD of approximately 8%. The RAM-SBSE device was robust (>50 extraction in plasma without significant signal loss) and simple to use, providing many direct extractions and subsequent determination of caffeine and its metabolites in biological fluids. In contrast to existing sample preparation methods for the analysis of caffeine and selected metabolites in biological fluids, this feasibility study using a biocompatible SBSE approach was advantageous in terms of simplifying the sample preparation procedures.