Fast,selective, and sensitive analysis of low-abundance peptides in human plasma by electromembrane extraction

A totally new concept based on electrokinetic migration was evaluated for the extraction of three biologically active peptides from human plasma. Angiotensin 2, leu-enkephalin, and endomorphin 1 migrated from a diluted human plasma sample (2 mL, positive electrode), through a supported liquid membrane (SLM) of 1-octanol, di-isobutylketon, and di-(2-ethylhexyl) phosphate (DEHP) (55:35:10, w/w/w), and into an acidified acceptor solution (25 μL 50 mM HCl, negative electrode) by the application of an electrical potential (20 V) across the SLM. After only five min of extraction, the acceptor solution was injected and analyzed directly by liquid chromatography. The three peptides were quantified by tandem mass spectrometry, with acceptable linearity ranging from 100.0 to 1000.0 pg mL⁻¹ (r² in the range 0.9736–0.9988), and repeatability (RSD) ranging between 15% and 24% (n = 5), using plasma spiked with the three peptides in 100 pg mL⁻¹ concentration. The estimated detection limits (S/N ratio of 3:1) for angiotensin 2, leu-enkephalin, and endomorphin 1, were 60, 24, and 24 pg mL⁻¹, respectively. With this novel approach based on electromembrane extraction (EME) coupled to LC–MS/MS, endogenous concentrations of the peptides were detected in non-spiked human plasma samples, with a total analysis time less than 50 min. These experimental findings were highly interesting, and showed the opportunities for EME with regard to future peptide extractions.     

Kinetic electro membrane extraction under stagnant conditions—Fast isolation of drugs from untreated human plasma

Amitriptyline, citalopram, fluoxetine, and fluvoxamine were isolated by electro membrane extraction (EME) from 70 μl of untreated plasma (pH 7.4), through a supported liquid membrane (SLM) of 1-ethyl-2-nitrobenzene immobilized in the pores of a porous polypropylene hollow fiber, and into 30 μl of 10 mM HCOOH as acceptor solution inside the lumen of the hollow fiber. The driving force of the extraction was a 9 V potential sustained over the SLM with a common battery, with the positive electrode placed in the plasma sample and the negative electrode placed in the acceptor solution. Extractions were performed under totally stagnant conditions with a very simple device for 1 min (kinetic regime), and subsequently the acceptor solution was analyzed directly by liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry (LC–MS). Recoveries were 12, 13, 22, and 17% for fluoxetine, amitriptyline, citalopram, and fluvoxamine, respectively. Sample clean-up was comparable to reversed-phase solid-phase extraction (SPE), but EME required substantially less time than SPE. The time advantage of EME was further improved by parallel extraction of three samples (for 1 min) with the same 9 V battery. EME from plasma combined with LC–MS provided limits of quantification (S/N = 10) in the range 0.4–2.3 ng/ml, linearity in the range 1–1000 ng/ml with r²-values of 0.998–0.999, and repeatability in the range 3.2–8.9% RSD in the mid-therapeutic window (100 ng/ml).     

Electro membrane extraction of sodium diclofenac as an acidic compound from wastewater,urine, bovine milk,and plasma samples and quantification by high-performance liquid chromatography

Electro membrane extraction (EME) as a new microextraction method was applied for extraction of sodium diclofenac (SDF) as an acidic compound from wastewater, urine, bovine milk and plasma samples. Under applied potential of 20 V during the extraction, SDF migrated from a 2.1 mL of sample solution (1 mM NaOH), through a supported liquid membrane (SLM), into a 30 μL acceptor solution (10 mM NaOH), exist inside the lumen of the hollow fiber. The negative electrode was placed in the donor solution, and the positive electrode was placed in the acceptor solution. 1-octanol was immobilized in the pores of a porous hollow fiber of polypropylene as SLM. Then the extract was analyzed by means of high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) with UV-detection for quantification of SDF. Best results were obtained using a phosphate running electrolyte (10 mM, pH 2.5). The ranges of quantitation for different samples were 8–500 ng mL⁻¹. Intra- and inter-day RSDs were less than 14.5%. Under the optimized conditions, the preconcentration factors were between 31 and 66 and also the limit of detections (LODs) ranged from 2.7 ng mL⁻¹ to 5 ng mL⁻¹ in different samples. This procedure was applied to determine SDF in wastewater, bovine milk, urine and plasma samples (spiked and real samples). Extraction recoveries for different samples were between 44–95% after 5 min of extraction.     

Electromembrane extraction (EME) and HPLC determination of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) in wastewater samples

In this paper, an electromembrane extraction (EME) combined with a HPLC procedure using diode array (DAD) and fluorescence detection (FLD) has been developed for the determination of six widely used non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs): salicylic acid (SAC), ketorolac (KTR), ketoprofen (KTP), naproxen (NAX), diclofenac (DIC) and ibuprofen (IBU). The drugs were extracted from basic aqueous sample solutions, through a supported liquid membrane (SLM) consisting of 1-octanol impregnated in the walls of a S6/2 Accurel^® polypropylene hollow fiber, and into a basic aqueous acceptor solution resent inside the lumen of the hollow fiber with a potential difference of 10 V applied over the SLM. Extractions that were carried out in 10 min using a potential of 10 V from pH 12 NaOH aqueous solutions shown concentration enrichments factors of 28-49 in a pH 12 NaOH aqueous acceptor solution. The proposed method was successfully applied to urban wastewaters. Excellent selectivity was demonstrated as no interfering peaks were detected. The procedure allows very low detection and quantitation limits of 0.0009-9.0 and 0.003-11.1 μg L⁻¹, respectively.     

Exhaustive extraction of peptides by electromembrane extraction

This fundamental work illustrates for the first time the possibility of exhaustive extraction of peptides using electromembrane extraction (EME) under low system-current conditions (<50 μA). Bradykinin acetate, angiotensin II antipeptide, angiotensin II acetate, neurotensin, angiotensin I trifluoroacetate, and leu-enkephalin were extracted from 600 μL of 25 mM phosphate buffer (pH 3.5), through a supported liquid membrane (SLM) containing di-(2-ethylhexyl)-phosphate (DEHP) dissolved in an organic solvent, and into 600 μL of an acidified aqueous acceptor solution using a thin flat membrane-based EME device. Mass transfer of peptides across the SLM was enhanced by complex formation with the negatively charged DEHP. The composition of the SLM and the extraction voltage were important factors influencing recoveries and current with the EME system. 1-nonanol diluted with 2-decanone (1:1 v/v) containing 15% (v/v) DEHP was selected as a suitable SLM for exhaustive extraction of peptides under low system-current conditions. Interestingly, increasing the SLM volume from 5 to 10 μL was found to be beneficial for stable and efficient EME. The pH of the sample strongly affected the EME process, and pH 3.5 was found to be optimal. The EME efficiency was also dependent on the acceptor solution composition, and the extraction time was found to be an important element for exhaustive extraction. When EME was carried out for 25 min with an extraction voltage of 15 V, the system-current across the SLM was less than 50 μA, and extraction recoveries for the model peptides were in the range of 77–94%, with RSD values less than 10%.     

Electromembrane extraction combined with gas chromatography for quantification of tricyclic antidepressants in human body fluids

Recent advances in electromembrane extraction (EME) methodology calls for effective and accessible detection methods. Using imipramine and clomipramine as model therapeutics, this proof-of-principle work combines EME with gas chromatography analysis employing a flame ionization detector (FID). The drugs were extracted from acidic aqueous sample solutions, through a supported liquid membrane (SLM) consisting of 2-nitrophenyl octyl ether (NPOE) impregnated on the walls of the hollow fiber. EME parameters, such as SLM composition, type of ion carrier, pH and the composition of donor and acceptor solutions, agitation speed, extraction voltage, and extraction time were studied in detail. Under optimized conditions, the therapeutics were effectively extracted from different matrices with recoveries ranging from 90 to 95%. The samples were preconcentrated 270–280 times prior to GC analysis. Reliable linearity was also achieved for calibration curves with a regression coefficient of at least 0.995. Detection limits and intra-day precision (n = 3) were less than 0.7 ng mL⁻¹ and 8.5%, respectively. Finally, method was applied to determination and quantification of drugs in human plasma and urine samples and satisfactory results were achieved.     

Rapid isolation of angiotensin peptides from plasma by electromembrane extraction

The present study has for the first time demonstrated the isolation of peptides from human plasma by electromembrane extraction (EME). Angiotensin 1, angiotensin 2, and angiotensin 3 migrated from 500 μL of diluted plasma, through a thin layer of 1-octanol and 8% di-(2-ethylhexyl) phosphate immobilized as a supported liquid membrane (SLM) in the pores of a porous hollow fiber, and into a 25 μL aqueous acceptor solution present inside the lumen of the fiber. The driving force for the extraction was a 15 V potential difference applied across the SLM. After only 10 min of EME, the peptides were isolated from diluted plasma (pH 3) with extraction recoveries between 25 and 43%. After optimization, the extraction system was evaluated using spiked plasma samples of angiotensin 2. The evaluation was performed by liquid chromatography electrospray mass spectrometry, showing linearity of angiotensin 2 in the range 2.5–125.0 ng/mL (r² = 0.989), and repeatability (RSD) between 5.6 and 11.6% (n = 6). The results demonstrate the possibility of isolating angiotensin peptides from plasma in only 10 min, using electromembrane extraction. The experimental findings are therefore promising with regard to future peptide extractions.     

Electro‐driven extraction of inorganic anions from water samples and water miscible organic solvents and analysis by ion chromatography

A simple electromembrane extraction (EME) procedure combined with ion chromatography (IC) was developed to quantify inorganic anions in different pure water samples and water miscible organic solvents. The parameters affecting extraction performance, such as supported liquid membrane (SLM) solvent, extraction time, pH of donor and acceptor solutions, and extraction voltage were optimized. The optimized EME conditions were as follows: 1‐heptanol was used as the SLM solvent, the extraction time was 10 min, pHs of the acceptor and donor solutions were 10 and 7, respectively, and the extraction voltage was 15 V. The mobile phase used for IC was a combination of 1.8 mM sodium carbonate and 1.7 mM sodium bicarbonate. Under these optimized conditions, all anions had enrichment factors ranging from 67 to 117 with RSDs between 7.3 and 13.5% (n = 5). Good linearity values ranging from 2 to 1200 ng/mL with coefficients of determination (R²) between 0.987 and 0.999 were obtained. The LODs of the EME‐IC method ranged from 0.6 to 7.5 ng/mL. The developed method was applied to different samples to evaluate the feasibility of the method for real applications.     

Drop-to-drop microextraction across a supported liquid membrane by an electrical field under stagnant conditions

Electromembrane extraction (EME) of basic drugs from 10 μL sample volumes was performed through an organic solvent (2-nitrophenyl octyl ether) immobilized as a supported liquid membrane (SLM) in the pores of a flat polypropylene membrane (25 μm thickness), and into 10 μL 10 mM HCl as the acceptor solution. The driving force for the extractions was 3–20 V d.c. potential sustained over the SLM. The influence of the membrane thickness, extraction time, and voltage was investigated, and a theory for the extraction kinetics is proposed. Pethidine, nortriptyline, methadone, haloperidol, and loperamide were extracted from pure water samples with recoveries ranging between 33% and 47% after only 5 min of operation under totally stagnant conditions. The extraction system was compatible with human urine and plasma samples and provided very efficient sample pretreatment, as acidic, neutral, and polar substances with no distribution into the organic SLM were not extracted across the membrane. Evaluation was performed for human urine, providing linearity in the range 1–20 μg/mL, and repeatability (RSD) in average within 12%.     

Optimization of some experimental parameters in the electro membrane extraction of chlorophenols from seawater

An electro membrane extraction (EME) methodology was utilized to study the isolation of some environmentally important pollutants, such as chlorophenols, from aquatic media based upon the electrokinetic migration process. The analytes were transported by application of an electrical potential difference over a supported liquid membrane (SLM). A driving force of 10 V was applied to extract the analytes through 1-octanol, used as the SLM, into a strongly alkaline solution. The alkaline acceptor solution was subsequently analyzed by high performance liquid chromatography-ultraviolet (HPLC-UV) detection. The parameters influencing electromigration, including volumes and pH of the donor and acceptor phases, the organic solvent used as the SLM, and the applied voltage and its duration, were investigated to find the most suitable extraction conditions. Since the developed method showed a rather high degree of selectivity towards pentachlorophenol (PCP), validation of the method was performed using this compound. An enrichment factor of 23 along with acceptable sample clean-up was obtained for PCP. The calibration curve showed linearity in the range of 0.5–1000 ng/mL with a coefficient of estimation corresponding to 0.999. Limits of detection and quantification, based on signal-to-noise ratios of 3 and 10, were 0.1 and 0.4 ng/mL, respectively. The relative standard deviation of the analysis at a PCP concentration of 0.5 ng/mL was found to be 6.8% (n = 6). The method was also applied to the extraction of this contaminant from seawater and an acceptable relative recovery of 74% was achieved at a concentration level of 1.0 ng/mL.     

On-line continuous flow ultrasonic extraction coupled with high performance liquid chromatographic separation for determination of the flavonoids from root of Scutellaria baicalensis Georgi

An on-line method, based on coupling dynamic ultrasonic extraction (DUE), continuously sampling the suspension of sample and solvent, high performance liquid chromatographic separation with diode array detection, has been developed for the determination of the flavonoids, including baicalin, baicalein and wogonin, from the root of Scutellaria baicalensis Georgi. Variables influencing the DUE were evaluated by orthogonal test. The extraction yields of baicalin, baicalein and wogonin in the roots of S. baicalensis Georgi obtained from five different cultivated areas are 73.8–131.5 μg mg⁻¹ (RSD ≤ 6.24%), 6.8–15.9 μg mg⁻¹ (RSD ≤ 5.36%) and 4.4–14.3 μg mg⁻¹ (RSD ≤ 5.30%), respectively. The limits of detection for baicalin, baicalein and wogonin are 0.30, 0.37 and 0.41 μg mL⁻¹, respectively. Linearity is from 0.55 to 109 μg mL⁻¹ for baicalin, from 0.51 to 105 μg mL⁻¹ for baicalein and from 0.53 to 102 μg mL⁻¹ for wogonin. Compared with off-line continuous flow-DUE, the proposed method would be more convenient for the determination of the analytes and the rapid optimization of the extraction process. The extraction yields of flavonoids obtained by the proposed method are comparable with those obtained by dynamic microwave assisted extraction, static ultrasonic extraction and reflux extraction. The result indicated that the proposed method is suitable to determine the active components in Chinese herbal medicine.     

Development and application of carbon nanotubes assisted electromembrane extraction (CNTs/EME) for the determination of buprenorphine as a model of basic drugs from urine samples

In this work carbon nanotubes assisted electromembrane extraction (CNTs/EME) coupled with capillary electrophoresis (CE) and ultraviolet (UV) detection was developed for the determination of buprenorphine as a model of basic drugs from urine samples. Carbon nanotubes reinforced hollow fiber was used in this research. Here the CNTs serve as a sorbent and provide an additional pathway for solute transport. The presence of CNTs in the hollow fiber wall increased the effective surface area and the overall partition coefficient on the membrane; and lead to an enhancement in the analyte transport. For investigating the influence of the presence of CNTs in the SLM on the extraction efficiency, a comparative study was carried out between EME and CNTs/EME methods. Optimization of the variables affecting these methods was carried out in order to achieve the best extraction efficiency. Optimal extractions were accomplished with NPOE as the SLM, with 200 V as the driving force, and with pH 2.0 in the donor and pH 1.0 in the acceptor solutions with the whole assembly agitated at 750 rpm after 25 min and 15 min for EME and CNTs/EME, respectively.     

Simultaneous extraction of acidic and basic drugs at neutral sample pH: A novel electro-mediated microextraction approach

The simultaneous extraction of acidic and basic analytes from a particular sample is a challenging task. In this work, electromembrane extraction (EME) of acidic non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs and basic β-blockers in a single step was carried out for the first time. It was shown that by designing an appropriate compartmentalized membrane envelope, the two classes of drugs could be electrokinetically extracted by a 300 V direct current electrical potential. This method required only a very short 10-min extraction time from a pH-neutral sample, with a small amount (50 μL) of organic solvent (1-octanol) as the acceptor phase. Analysis was carried out using gas chromatography–mass spectrometry after derivatization of the analytes. Extraction parameters such as extraction time, applied voltage, pH range, and concentration of salt added were optimized. The proposed EME technique provided good linearity with correlation coefficients from 0.982 to 0.997 over a concentration range of 1–200 μg L⁻¹. Detection limits of the drugs ranged between 0.0081 and 0.26 μg L⁻¹, while reproducibility ranged from 6 to 13% (n = 6). Finally, the application of the new method to wastewater samples was demonstrated.     

Direct determination of chlorophenols in water samples through ultrasound-assisted hollow fiber liquid–liquid–liquid microextraction on-line coupled with high-performance liquid chromatography

In this study we on-line coupled hollow fiber liquid–liquid–liquid microextraction (HF-LLLME), assisted by an ultrasonic probe, with high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). In this approach, the target analytes – 2-chlorophenol (2-CP), 3-chlorophenol (3-CP), 2,6-dichlorophenol (2,6-DCP), and 3,4-dichlorophenol (3,4-DCP) – were extracted into a hollow fiber (HF) supported liquid membrane (SLM) and then back-extracted into the acceptor solution in the lumen of the HF. Next, the acceptor solution was withdrawn on-line into the HPLC sample loop connected to the HF and then injected directly into the HPLC system for analysis. We found that the chlorophenols (CPs) could diffuse quickly through two sequential extraction interfaces – the donor phase – SLM and the SLM – acceptor phase – under the assistance of an ultrasonic probe. Ultrasonication provided effective mixing of the extracted boundary layers with the bulk of the sample and it increased the driving forces for mass transfer, thereby enhancing the extraction kinetics and leading to rapid enrichment of the target analytes. We studied the effects of various parameters on the extraction efficiency, viz. the nature of the SLM and acceptor phase, the compositions of the donor and acceptor phases, the fiber length, the stirring rate, the ion strength, the sample temperature, the sonication conditions, and the perfusion flow rate. This on-line extraction method exhibited linearity (r² ≥ 0.998), sensitivity (limits of detection: 0.03–0.05 μg L⁻¹), and precision (RSD% ≤ 4.8), allowing the sensitive, simple, and rapid determination of CPs in aqueous solutions and water samples with a sampling time of just 2 min.     

Flame atomic absorption spectrometry for the determination of trace amount of rhodium after separation and preconcentration onto modified multiwalled carbon nanotubes as a new solid sorbent

The present article reports on the application of modified multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MMWCNTs) as a new, easily prepared and stable solid sorbent for the preconcentration of trace rhodium ion in aqueous solution. Rhodium ions were complexed with 1-(2-pyridylazo)-2-naphthol (PAN) in the pH range of 3.2-4.7 and then the formed Rh-PAN complex was adsorbed on the oxidized MWCNTs. The adsorbed complex was eluted from MWCNTs sorbent with 5.0 mL of N,N-dimethylformamide (DMF). The rhodium in eluted solution was determined by flame atomic absorption spectrometry (FAAS). Linear range for the determination of rhodium was maintained between 0.16 ng mL⁻¹ and 25.0 μg mL⁻¹ in initial solution. Relative standard deviation for the 10 replicated determination of 4.0 μg mL⁻¹ of rhodium was ±0.97%. Detection limit was 0.010 ng mL⁻¹ in initial solution (3S_bl, n = 10) and preconcentration factor was 120. Sensitivity for 1% absorbance of rhodium (III) was 0.112 μg mL⁻¹. The sorption capacity of oxidized MWCNTs for Rh (III) was 6.6 mg g⁻¹. The effects of the experimental parameters, including the sample pH, flow rates of sample and eluent solution, eluent type, breakthrough volume and interference ions were studied for the preconcentration of Rh³⁺. The proposed method was successfully applied to the extraction and determination of rhodium in different samples.     

A selective electromembrane extraction of uranium (VI) prior to its fluorometric determination in water

A novel method for the selective electromembrane extraction (EME) of U⁶⁺ prior to fluorometric determination has been proposed. The effect of extraction conditions including supported liquid membrane (SLM) composition, extraction time and extraction voltage were investigated. An SLM composition of 1% di-2-ethyl hexyl phosphonic acid in nitrophenyl octyl ether (NPOE) showed good selectivity, recovery and enrichment factor. The best performance was achieved at an extraction potential of 80 volts and an extraction time of 14 minutes Under the optimized conditions, a linear range from 1 to 1000 ng mL⁻¹ and LOD of 0.1 ng mL⁻¹ were obtained for the determination of U⁶⁺. The EME method showed good performance in sample cleanup and the reduction of the interfering effects of Mn²⁺, Zn²⁺, Cd²⁺, Ni²⁺, Fe³⁺, Co²⁺, Cu²⁺, Cl⁻ and PO₄³⁻ ions during fluorometric determination of uranium in real water samples. The recoveries above 54% and enrichment factors above 64.7 were obtained by the proposed method for real sample analysis.     

Electromembrane extraction of polar basic drugs from plasma with pure bis(2-ethylhexyl) phosphite as supported liquid membrane

Electromembrane extraction (EME) of polar basic drugs from human plasma was investigated for the first time using pure bis(2-ethylhexyl) phosphite (DEHPi) as the supported liquid membrane (SLM). The polar basic drugs metaraminol, benzamidine, sotalol, phenylpropanolamine, ephedrine, and trimethoprim were selected as model analytes, and were extracted from 300 μL of human plasma, through 10 μL of DEHPi as SLM, and into 100 μL of 10 mM formic acid as acceptor solution. The extraction potential across the SLM was 100 V, and extractions were performed for 20 min. After EME, the acceptor solutions were analyzed by high-performance liquid chromatography-ultraviolet detection (HPLC-UV). In contrast to other SLMs reported for polar basic drugs in the literature, the SLM of DEHPi was highly stable in contact with plasma, and the system-current across the SLM was easily kept below 50 μA. Thus, electrolysis in the sample and acceptor solution was kept at an acceptable level with no detrimental consequences. For the polar model analytes, representing a log P range from −0.40 to 1.32, recoveries in the range 25–91% were obtained from human plasma. Strong hydrogen bonding and dipole interactions were probably responsible for efficient transfer of the model analytes into the SLM, and this is the first report on efficient EME of highly polar analytes without using any ionic carrier in the SLM.     

Nano-electromembrane extraction

The present work has for the first time described nano-electromembrane extraction (nano-EME). In nano-EME, five basic drugs substances were extracted as model analytes from 200 μL acidified sample solution, through a supported liquid membrane (SLM) of 2-nitrophenyl octyl ether (NPOE), and into approximately 8 nL phosphate buffer (pH 2.7) as acceptor phase. The driving force for the extraction was an electrical potential sustained over the SLM. The acceptor phase was located inside a fused silica capillary, and this capillary was also used for the final analysis of the acceptor phase by capillary electrophoresis (CE). In that way the sample preparation performed by nano-EME was coupled directly with a CE separation. Separation performance of 42,000–193,000 theoretical plates could easily be obtained by this direct sample preparation and injection technique that both provided enrichment as well as extraction selectivity. Compared with conventional EME, the acceptor phase volume in nano-EME was down-scaled by a factor of more than 1000. This resulted in a very high enrichment capacity. With loperamide as an example, an enrichment factor exceeding 500 was obtained in only 5 min of extraction. This corresponded to 100-times enrichment per minute of nano-EME. Nano-EME was found to be a very soft extraction technique, and about 99.2–99.9% of the analytes remained in the sample volume of 200 μL. The SLM could be reused for more than 200 nano-EME extractions, and memory effects in the membrane were avoided by effective electro-assisted cleaning, where the electrical potential was actively used to clean the membrane.     

On-line coupling of ionic liquid-based single-drop microextraction with capillary electrophoresis for sensitive detection of phenols

An ionic liquid-based single-drop microextraction (IL-SDME) procedure using IL as an extractant on-line coupled to capillary electrophoresis (CE) is proposed. The method is capable of quantifying trace amounts of phenols in environmental water samples. For the SDME of three phenols, a 2.40 nL IL microdrop was exposed for 10 min to the aqueous sample and then was directly injected into the capillary column for analysis. Extraction parameters such as the extraction time, the IL single-drop volume, pH of the sample solution, ionic strength, volume of the sample solution and the extraction temperature were systematically investigated. Detection limits to three phenols were less than 0.05 μg mL⁻¹, and their calibration curves were all linear (R² ≥ 0.9994) in the range from 0.05 to 50 μg mL⁻¹. And enrichment factors for three phenols were 156, 107 and 257 without agitation, respectively. This method was then utilized to analyze two real environmental samples from Yellow River and tap water, obtaining satisfactory results. Compared with the usual SDME for CE, IL-SDME–CE is a simple, low-cost, fast and environmentally friendly preconcentration technique.     

Effects of interaction of folic acid with uranium (VI) and basic triphenylmethane dyes on resonance Rayleigh scattering spectra and their analytical applications

In pH 4.2-4.8 HAc-NaAc buffer solution, folic acid (FA) could react with uranium (VI) to form a 2:1 anionic chelate which further reacted with some basic triphenylmethane dyes (BTPMD) such as Ethyl Violet (EV), Methyl Violet (MV) and Crystal Violet (CV) to form 1:2 ion-association complexes. As a result, not only the absorption spectra were changed, but also the intensities of resonance Rayleigh scattering (RRS) were enhanced greatly and the new RRS spectra were observed. The maximum RRS wavelengths were located at 328 nm for EV system, 325 nm for MV system and 328 nm for CV system. The fading degree (ΔA) and RRS intensities (ΔI) of three systems were different. Under given conditions, the ΔA and ΔI were all directly proportional to the concentration of FA. The linear ranges and the detection limits of RRS methods were 0.0039-5.0 μg mL⁻¹ and 1.2 ng mL⁻¹ for EV system, 0.0073-4.0 μg mL⁻¹ and 2.2 ng mL⁻¹ for MV system, 0.014-3.5 μg mL⁻¹ and 4.7 ng mL⁻¹ for CV system. The RRS methods exhibited higher sensitivity, so they are more suitable for the determination of trace FA. The optimum conditions, the influencing factors and the effects of coexisting substances on the reaction were investigated. The method can be applied to the determination of FA in serum and urine samples with satisfactory results. The structure of the ternary ion-association complex and the reaction mechanism were discussed in this work.