Determination of morpholinium ionic liquid cations in environmental water samples: development of solid-phase extraction method and ion chromatography

An ion chromatography and solid-phase extraction method has been applied for the separation and detection of morpholinium cations in environmental water samples. The water samples were purified and enriched by a UF-SCX sulfonic acid extraction column and eluted with 0.5 mol L⁻¹ phosphoric acid/sodium dihydrogen phosphate buffer solution/55% methanol. The target compounds were separated on a carboxylic acid cation exchange column with 5.0 mmol L⁻¹ methane sulfonic acid/2% acetonitrile as the mobile phase and direct conductivity detection. The method has been successfully applied to extract morpholinium cations from spiked water samples of Songhua River, Hulan River, East Lake, and Mopanshan Reservoir in China with the recoveries ranging from 75.0% to 98.3%. The relative standard deviations of intraday precision and interday precision are 2.1% and 5.9% or less, respectively. Using this method it is possible to preconcentrate water samples to 0.01–0.04 mg L⁻¹. The results show that the method is applicable to detection of morpholinium ionic liquid cations in environmental water samples and provides a new approach for monitoring ionic liquids in environmental water.

The analysis procedure of morpholinium ionic liquids in environmental water samples.

     

Reversed‐phase ion‐pair solid‐phase extraction and ion chromatography analysis of pyrrolidinium ionic liquid cations in environmental water samples

A method of reversed‐phase ion‐pair solid‐phase extraction combined with ion chromatography for determination of pyrrolidinium ionic liquid cations (N‐methyl‐N‐ethyl pyrrolidinium, N‐methyl‐N‐propyl pyrrolidinium, and N‐methyl‐N‐butyl pyrrolidinium) in water samples was developed in this study. First, ion‐pair reagent sodium heptanesulfonate was added to the water samples after static, centrifugation and filteration. Then, pyrrolidinium cations in the samples were enriched and purified by a reversed‐phase solid‐phase extraction column, and eluted from the column with methanol aqueous solution as eluent. Finally, the eluate collected was analyzed by ion chromatography. The separation and direct conductivity detection of these pyrrolidinium cations by ion‐exchange column using 1.0 mM methanesulfonic acid (in water)/acetonitrile (97:3, v:v) as mobile phase was achieved within 10 min. By using this method, pyrrolidinium cations in Songhua River and Hulan River were successfully extracted with the recoveries ranging from 74.2 to 97.1% and the enrichment factor assessed as 60. Pyrrolidinium cations with the concentration of 0.001?0.03 mg/L can be enriched and detected in the water samples. The developed method for the determination of pyrrolidinium ionic liquid cations in water samples is simple and reliable, which provides a reference for the study of the potential impact of ionic liquids on the environment.     

A Simple Method for Determination of Homologue Imidazolium Cations in Ionic Liquids Using IC with Direct Conductivity Detection

An investigation was carried out into the fast determination of five homologue imidazolium cations in ionic liquids by ion chromatography using a cation-exchange column and direct conductivity detection. Ethylenediamine, complex organic acid (citric acid, oxalic acid and tartaric acid) and organic modifiers (acetonitrile) were used as mobile phase. The influences of the eluent types, eluent concentration, eluent pH and column temperature on separation of the cations were discussed. Simultaneous separation and determination of the five homologue imidazolium cations in ionic liquids were achieved under an optimum condition. The optimized mobile phase was consisted of 0.25 mmol L^?1 ethylenediamine + 0.5 mmol L^?1 citric acid + 3% acetonitrile (v/v) (pH 4.1), set at a flow rate of 1.0 mL min^?1. The column temperature was 40 °C and detection limits were obtained in the range of 1.1–45.6 mg L^?1. The relative standard deviations of the chromatographic peak areas for the cations were <3.0% (n = 5). This method was successfully applied to separate imidazolium cations in ionic liquids produced by organic synthesis. The recoveries of spiked components were 92.5–101.9%.     

离子对色谱法同时分离测定吡啶及咪唑离子液体阳离子

建立了用紫外检测的反相离子对色谱梯度淋洗同时分离测定4种吡啶离子液体阳离子和5种咪唑离子液体阳离子的方法。实验采用ZORBAX Eclipse XDB-C18反相色谱柱,以离子对试剂水溶液(用柠檬酸调节pH值)+乙腈为流动相,考察了离子对试剂种类和浓度、乙腈浓度和色谱柱温度对保留的影响,探讨了相关保留规律,确定最佳色谱条件为:流速1.0 mL/min、柱温30℃,以1.0 mmol/L庚烷磺酸钠水溶液(pH 4.0)-乙腈为淋洗液进行梯度洗脱。在此条件下,4种吡啶阳离子和5种咪唑阳离子在15 min内达到基线分离。检出限(S/N=3)为0.31～0.54 mg/L,峰面积的相对标准偏差为0.10%～0.75%。将该方法用于实验室合成的离子液体样品分析,加标回收率为94%～98%。该方法准确、可靠,具有较好的实用性。     

Electrospun zeolitic imidazolate framework-8/poly(lactic acid) nanofibers for pipette-tip micro-solid phase extraction of carbamate insecticides from environmental samples

In the present study, electrospun zeolitic imidazolate framework-8/poly(lactic acid) nanofibers were successfully synthesized and characterized as a potential nanosorbent for the pipette-tip micro-solid phase extraction of chlorpropham, pirimicarb, carbaryl, and methiocarb carbamate insecticides from environmental water samples. The extraction procedure was followed by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry separation and determination of the target analytes. All the effective parameters of the extraction procedure were optimized through the one variable at-a-time method. Thanks to the very simple extraction procedure as well as the application of electrospun nanofibers with high surface area, the four analytes were efficiently extracted with as lowest extraction times as practicable. Under the optimal conditions, the calibration plots of the analytes were obtained within broad linear dynamic ranges of 0.5 – 150 ng mL^?1 for chlorpropham and pirimicarb plus 1.0 – 175 ng mL^?1 for carbaryl and methiocarb, respectively. Besides, limits of detection as low as 0.2 and 0.15 ng mL^?1 for chlorpropham and pirimicarb, respectively, as well as 0.5 ng mL^?1 for carbaryl and methiocarb indicate the favorable sensitivity of the analytical procedure. The applicability of the developed method was evaluated by quantitative determination of the target analytes in four different environmental water samples. Relative recoveries higher than 88.0% shows the acceptable accuracy of the method in the quantitative determination of the four carbamate insecticides.     

Determination of Pyridinium Ionic Liquid Cations by Reversed Phase Ion-Pair Chromatography Using Gradient Elution

Four pyridinium ionic liquid cations (N-ethyl-pyridinium, N-butyl-pyridinium, N-butyl-4-methyl-pyridinium, N-hexyl-pyridinium) were separated and determined by reversed phase ion-pair chromatography with ultraviolet-visible detection. The effects of ion-pair reagent, acetonitrile concentration and column temperature on the retention and separation of the cations were evaluated. Then the four pyridinium cations could be separated at baseline within 13 min. The detection limits (S/N = 3) were 0.30–0.70 mg L^?1, and relative standard deviations (n = 5) for peak areas were 0.18–0.58%. The method was applied to analyze surface water with recoveries of 99.5–104.0%, which is accurate, reliable and practical.     

Determination of Quinoxalines and Their Two Main Metabolites in Environmental Water Samples by Liquid Chromatography–Tandem Mass Spectrometry

A sensitive high performance liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry method was developed for the determination of residues of carbadox, mequindox, olaquindox, quinocetone, cyadox, quinoxaline-2-carboxylic acid, and 3-methylquinoxaline-2-carboxylic acid in environmental water samples. The samples were freeze-dried at ?80°C, re-dissolved in 1.0 mL methanol-water (5:95), then purified with N-propyl ethylenediamine. The separation of the analytes was performed on a column (150 × 2.1 mm i.d., 5.0 µm) using acetonitrile and 0.1% formic acid as mobile phases. The target compounds were confirmed and quantified by tandem mass spectrometry in multiple reaction monitoring mode. The results showed that there were linear relationships between peak area and concentrations of these compounds with correlation coefficients exceeding 0.99. The average recoveries at the spiked levels of 0.25, 0.5, 1.0, and 2.0 µ g L^?1 ranged from 68.7% to 109% with relative standard deviations less than 14% except cyadox. The limits of detection of the analytes were between 2.0 and 6.0 ng L^?1. This method meets the requirements for the determination of drug residues in environmental water samples.     

UPLC a Powerful Tool for the Separation of Imidazolium Ionic Liquid Cations

Ultra-performance liquid chromatography (UPLC) in reversed-phase (RP), ion pair (IP) and hydrophilic interaction chromatography (HILIC) has been investigated for the separation of imidazolium-based ionic liquid (IL) cations. Among the three stationary phases (i.e., C18, C8 and phenyl) studied under RP conditions the phenyl phase provided much stronger retention for the IL cations. Four acids (hydrochloric, methanesulfonic, perchloric and trifluoroacetic) as mobile phase additives were compared in light of their effects on the retention of IL cations. It was shown that the retention of all IL cations decreased upon acidification of the mobile phase, possibly due to suppression of residual silanol ionization. Very fast (~3 min) and efficient RP-UPLC separation of six cations was achieved by gradient elution with acetonitrile?Cwater mobile phase containing 2.5 mmol L^?1 perchloric acid. In IP-UPLC all solutes were well resolved in about 4 min by gradient elution with acetonitrile?Cwater mobile phase containing 1 mmol L^?1 sodium 1-octanesulfonate as ion pairing reagent. Finally, under HILIC conditions by using isocratic elution with acetonitrile?Cwater (85:15, v/v) mobile phase containing 5 mmol L^?1 ammonium formate (pH 3.2) the separation time was reduced to less than 2 min while maintaining excellent peak shapes and sufficient resolution. Compared to current LC systems UPLC allowed considerably faster separations with better peak shapes.     

Rapid and sensitive determination of biphenyl and biphenyl oxide in water samples using dispersive liquid–liquid microextraction followed by gas chromatography

A rapid and sensitive method has been developed for the determination of biphenyl and biphenyl oxide in water samples using dispersive liquid–liquid microextraction followed by gas chromatography. This method involves the use of an appropriate mixture of extraction solvent (8.0?µL tetrachloroethylene) and disperser solvent (1.0?mL acetonitrile) for the formation of cloudy solution in 5.0?mL aqueous sample containing biphenyl and biphenyl oxide. After extraction, phase separation was performed by centrifugation and biphenyl and biphenyl oxide in sedimented phase (5.0?±?0.3?µL) were determined by gas chromatography-flame ionisation (GC-FID) system. Type of extraction and disperser solvents and their volumes, salt effect on the extraction recovery of biphenyl and biphenyl oxide from aqueous solution have been investigated. Under the optimum conditions and without salt addition, the enrichment factors for biphenyl and biphenyl oxide were 819 and 785, while the extraction recovery were 81.9% and 78.5%, respectively. The linear range was (0.125–100?µg L^?1) and limit of detection was (0.015?µg?L^?1) for both analytes. The relative standard deviation (RSD, n?=?4) for 5.0?µg?L^?1 of analytes were 8.4% and 6.7% for biphenyl and biphenyl oxide, respectively. The relative recoveries of biphenyl and biphenyl oxide from sea, river water and refined water (Paksan company) samples at spiking level of 5.0?µg?L^?1 were between 85.0% and 100 %.     

Simultaneous determination of four trace estrogens in feces,leachate, tap and groundwater using solid–liquid extraction/auto solid‐phase extraction and high‐performance liquid chromatography with fluorescence detection

A simple and selective high‐performance liquid chromatography method coupled with fluorescence detection was developed for the simultaneous measurement of trace levels of four estrogens (estrone, estradiol, estriol and 17α‐ethynyl estradiol) in environmental matrices. For feces samples, solid–liquid extraction was applied with a 1:1 v/v mixture of acetonitrile and ethyl acetate as the extraction solvent. For liquid samples (e.g., leachate and groundwater), hydrophobic/lipophilic balanced automated solid‐phase extraction disks were selected due to their high recoveries compared to conventional C₁₈ disks. Chromatographic separations were performed on a reversed‐phase C₁₈ column gradient‐eluted with a 45:55 v/v mixture of acetonitrile and water. The detection limits were down to 1.1 × 10^?2 (estrone), 4.11 × 10^?4 (estradiol), 5.2 × 10^?3 (estriol) and 7.18 × 10^?3 μg/L (17α‐ethynyl estradiol) at excitation/emission wavelengths of 288/310 nm, with recoveries in the range of 96.9 ± 3.2–105.4 ± 3.2% (n = 3). The method was successfully applied to determine estrogens in feces and water samples collected at livestock farms and a major river in Northeast China. We observed relatively high abundance and widespread distribution of all four estrogens in our sample collections, implying the urgency for a comprehensive and intricate investigation of estrogenic fate and contamination in our researched area.     

Reduction of silanophilic interactions in liquid chromatography with the use of ionic liquids

A suppression of silanophilic interactions by the selected ionic liquids added to the mobile phase in thin-layer chromatography (TLC) and high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) is reported. Acetonitrile was used as the eluent, alone or with various concentrations of water and phosphoric buffer pH 3. Selectivity of the normal (NP) and the reversed (RP) stationary phase material was examined using a series of proton-acceptor basic drugs analytes. The ionic liquids studied appeared to significantly affect analyte retention in NP-TLC, RP-TLC and RP-HPLC systems tested. Consequently, the increased separation selectivity was attained. Due to ionic liquid additives to eluent even analytes could be chromatographed, which were not eluted from the silica-based stationary phase materials with 100% of acetonitrile in the mobile phase. Addition of ionic liquid already in very small concentration (0.5%, v/v) could reduce the amount of acetonitrile used during the optimization of basic analytes separations in TLC and HPLC systems. Moreover, the influence of temperature on the separation of basic analytes was demonstrated and considered in practical HPLC method development.     

Effective indirect enrichment and determination of nitrite ion in water and biological samples using ionic liquid-dispersive liquid-liquid microextraction combined with high-performance liquid chromatography

An ionic liquid dispersive liquid–liquid microextraction high-performance liquid chromatography (IL-DLLME-HPLC) method for effective enrichment and determination of nitrite ion in water and biological samples was developed. The method was based on the reaction of nitrite ion with p-nitroaniline in the presence of diphenylamine in acid media and IL-DLLME of azo product. The optimization of reaction and extraction conditions, such as kind and concentration of acid, reaction time, volume of reaction solvent, temperature, kind of extraction and dispersive solvent, volume of extraction and dispersive solvent, addition of salt, extraction and centrifugal time were studied. Under the optimal conditions, 1-octyl-3-methylimidazolium bis[(trifluoromethyl)sulfonyl]imide IL-DLLME procedure provided high enrichment factor of 430 and good extraction recovery of 91.7% for nitrite ion. The linearity was observed in the range of 0.4–500.0 μg L⁻¹ with good correlation coefficient (r² = 0.9996). The relative standard deviations (RSDs) for five replicate measurements varied between 1.5% and 4.8%. The limit of detection of the method (S/N = 3) was 0.05 μg L⁻¹. The interference effect of some anions and cations was also tested. The developed method allowed achieving an excellent enrichment factor, yielding a lower LOD in comparison with other methods. Moreover, the proposed method was able to analyze nitrite ion in water and biological samples with satisfactory recovery ranged from 96.5% to 107.3%.     

Solvent (ionic liquid) impregnated resin-based extraction coupled with dynamic ultrasonic desorption for separation and concentration of four herbicides in environmental water

A new method was developed for the determination of monolinuron, propazine, linuron, and prebane in environmental water samples. The solvent (ionic liquid) impregnated resin (IL-SIR)-based extraction coupled with dynamic ultrasonic desorption (DUSD) was applied to the separation and concentration of the analytes. The high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) was applied to the determination of the analytes. The ionic liquid [C₆MIM][PF₆] was immobilized on Diaion HP20 resin by immersing the resin in ethanol solution containing [C₆MIM][PF₆]. The effect of extraction parameters, including pH value of sample solution, salt concentration in sample and extraction time, and elution conditions, including the concentration of ethanol in elution solvent, the flow rate of elution solvent and the ultrasonic power, were examined and optimized. The limits of detection and quantification for the analytes were in the range of 0.15-0.29 μg L⁻¹ and 0.51-0.98 μg L⁻¹, respectively. Some environmental water samples were analyzed and the analytical results were satisfactory.     

Determination of Imidazolium Ionic Liquid Cations by Ion-Pair Chromatography Using a Monolithic Column and Direct Conductivity Detection

Determination of four imidazolium ionic liquid cations by ion-pair chromatography was carried out using direct conductivity detection. Chromatographic separations were performed on a silica-based monolithic column with 1-heptanesulfonic acid sodium + acetonitrile + citric acid as eluent. Carbon number rule and influence of acetonitrile on the retention of imidazolium cations were discussed. Detection limits (S/N = 3) for the cations were 2.1–55.9 mg L^?1. Relative standard deviations (RSD, n = 5) for peak areas were less than 3.0%. The method has been successfully applied to the determination of two ionic liquids synthesized by organic chemistry lab.     

Rapid Determination of DDT and Its Metabolites in Environmental Water Samples with Mixed Ionic Liquids Dispersive Liquid–Liquid Microextraction Prior to HPLC-UV

In this paper, a novel mixed ionic liquids-dispersive liquid–liquid microextraction method was developed for rapid enrichment and determination of environmental pollutants in water samples. In this method, two kinds of ionic liquids, hydrophobic ionic liquid and hydrophilic ionic liquid, were used as extraction solvent and disperser solvent, respectively. DDT and its metabolites were used as model analytes and high-performance liquid chromatography with ultraviolet detector for the analysis. Factors that may affect the extraction recoveries, such as type and volume of extraction solvent (hydrophobic ionic liquid) and disperser solvent (hydrophilic ionic liquid), extraction time, sample pH and ionic strength, were investigated and optimized. Under the optimum conditions, the linear range was 1–100 μg L⁻¹, limits of detection could reach 0.21–0.49 μg L⁻¹, and relative standard deviation was 6.01–8.48 % (n = 7) for the analytes. Satisfactory results were achieved when the method was applied to analyze the target pollutants in environmental water samples with spiked recoveries over the range of 85.7–106.8 %.

     

Bamboo charcoal as a novel solid-phase microextraction coating material for enrichment and determination of eleven phthalate esters in environmental water samples

This study demonstrates the potential of bamboo charcoal as a novel and inexpensive solid-phase microextraction (SPME) coating material for enrichment and determination of organic pollutants in water samples. Bamboo charcoal was prepared and used as a SPME coating material. Eleven phthalate esters (PAEs) were used as model analytes, and gas chromatography–mass spectrometry was used for separation and detection. Important extraction conditions (ionic strength, stirring rate, and extraction time) and desorption conditions (desorption temperature and time) were systematically investigated and optimized. Linearity of 0.1–100 μg?L^?1 and correlation coefficients of 0.9992–0.9998 were obtained under optimum conditions. Inter-day and intra-day repeatability were 2.15–9.93 % and 1.89–9.85 %, respectively, and fiber-to-fiber reproducibility was 5.42–9.66 %. On the basis of a chromatographic signal-to-baseline noise ratio of three, the limits of detection reached 0.004–0.023 μg?L^?1. Satisfactory results were achieved when the bamboo coating was used for determination of 11 PAEs in real water samples. The experimental results indicate that bamboo charcoal has significant potential as a SPME coating material for rapid enrichment and sensitive determination of organic pollutants in environmental samples.     

Determination of five polar herbicides in water samples by ionic liquid dispersive liquid-phase microextraction

A simple, rapid and efficient ionic liquid based on dispersive liquid-phase microextraction (IL-DLPME) method was developed for the determination of three triazine and two phenylurea herbicides in water samples. IL (1-hexyl-3-methylimidazolium hexafluorophosphate [C₆MIM][PF₆]) that dispersed completely into the water solution under controlled temperature was used as the extraction solvent. The analytes were easily concentrated into the ionic liquid phase. This technique combined the process of extraction and concentration of the analytes into one step and avoided use of the more common, toxic organic solvents. The factors affecting the extraction efficiency such as the IL volume, sample pH, extraction time, centrifugal time, dissoluble temperature and ionic strength were optimized. The extracts were analyzed by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) coupled with diode array detector (DAD). Under the optimized conditions, recoveries (50.5–109.1%) were obtained for the target analytes in water samples. The calibration curves were linear and the correlation coefficient ranged from 0.9947 to 0.9973 in the concentration levels of 5–100 μg L^?1. The relative standard deviations (RSDs, n?=?5) were 6.80–10.78%. The limit of detections (LODs) for the five polar herbicides were between 0.46 μg L^?1 and 0.89 μg L^?1.     

Magnetic Graphene Nanoparticles for the Preconcentration of Chloroacetanilide Herbicides from Water Samples Prior to Determination by GC-ECD

A highly sensitive method for the determination of the chloroacetanilide herbicides alachlor, acetochlor, pretilachlor, butachlor, and metolachlor in environmental water samples was developed. It is based on solid-phase extraction using magnetic graphene nanocomposite (G-Fe₃O₄) as the adsorbent, followed by gas chromatography with electron capture detection. This novel adsorbent showed a great adsorptive ability toward the analytes. The main experimental parameters such as the amount of G-Fe₃O₄, extraction time, ionic strength, the pH of the sample solution, and desorption conditions were optimized. Under the optimum conditions, the enrichment factors of the method for the analytes were in the range from 649 to 1078. A good linear response was achieved in the range of 0.2–20.0 ng mL^?1, with correlation coefficients (r) varying from 0.9964 to 0.9998. The limits of detection of the method ranged from 0.02 to 0.05 ng mL^?1 and the relative standard deviations were below 4.5%. The method was successfully applied to the determination of the herbicides in environmental water samples. Recoveries of the method for the analytes were in the range of 80.7–105.3%.     

Optimization of high-performance liquid chromatography and solid-phase extraction for determination of organophosphorus pesticide residues in environmental samples

High-performance liquid chromatography with solid-phase extraction (HPLC-SPE) was optimized for the analysis of three organophosphorus pesticide residues in water, apples and vegetable samples. Octadecylsilica disks (47-mm diameter) were used for solid-phase extraction. The parameters that affect both separation and extraction of methyl parathion, parathion and phoxim, such as mobile-phase composition, ionic strength, temperature, pH, and breakthrough volume, were investigated. The application of optimized HPLC-SPE to environmental samples gave reproducible results with low detection limits of 5 µg L^?1 for methyl parathion and parathion and 2.5 µgL^?1. Precisions of less than 8, 9 and 12% were obtained for water, spinach and apple samples, respectively.     

Development of an HPLC method for the identification and dosage of non-allowed substances in cosmetic products. Part I: local anaesthetics and antihistaminics

An HPLC method with ultraviolet detection coupled with a solid-phase extraction sample clean up was developed for the analysis of five local anaesthetics and four antihistaminics in cosmetic products. The presence of these compounds in commercial cosmetic samples is fordbidden. Extracts from real samples were applied to a solid-phase extraction C₁₈ cartridge, and the analytes were eluted with 8:2 (v/v) acetonitrile/water containing 1 trifluoroacetic acid. HPLC separation was then performed for the identification and determination of the analytes using a Purospher RP-18 column, two gradient eluting systems and a photodiode-array detector. The accuracy of the method was verified by spiking experiments on home-made cosmetic samples. The analytical recoveries were satisfactory.