Advances of responsive deep eutectic solvents and application in extraction and separation of bioactive compounds

In recent years, it has been found that changing ambient conditions (CO₂/N₂, temperature, pH) can trigger a switchable phase transition of deep eutectic solvents, and such solvents are known as responsive deep eutectic solvents. In this work, we present the development history, properties, and preparation of responsive deep eutectic solvents, followed by the application of responsive deep eutectic solvents in the extraction and separation of bioactive compounds are presented. Importantly, the mechanism of responsive deep eutectic solvents in the extraction of bioactive compounds is discussed. Finally, the challenges and prospects of responsive deep eutectic solvents in the extraction and separation of bioactive compounds are proposed. Responsive deep eutectic solvents are considered green and efficient solvents. Some methods for extraction and separation of bioactive compounds by responsive deep eutectic solvents can increase the possibility of recycling the deep eutectic solvents, and provide higher efficiency in the extraction and separation field. It is hoped that this will provide a reference for the green and sustainable extraction and separation of various bioactive compounds.     

Sustainable and green microextraction of organophosphorus flame retardants by a novel phosphonium‐based deep eutectic solvent

Based on the solidification of a hydrophobic deep eutectic solvent in air‐assisted liquid phase microextraction combined with gas chromatography and mass spectrometry, a green and sustainable microextraction technique was developed for extracting, separating, and detecting organophosphorus flame retardants in aqueous samples. In this study, some strategies were considered for overcoming or improving the challenges of conventional solvent microextraction procedures. In addition, a hydrophobic deep eutectic solvent with a freezing point near the ambient temperature was employed as an extraction phase, the dispersive solvent was substituted by the syringe pump process, and the centrifugation step was omitted by using salting‐out phenomenon. Further, the effect of the main independent variables was evaluated by using the chemometric methods in order to maximize the extraction efficiency of the procedure. Under optimal conditions, the calibration model was linear in the range of 0.01–25.0 µg/L. Limits of detection and quantitation were assessed at the concentration levels of 2–23 and 9–65 ng/L, respectively. The precision involving repeatability and reproducibility was evaluated by estimating the relative standard deviation, the levels of which were <6.6 and <8.7%, respectively. The applicability of the method was successfully evaluated by analyzing the target analytes in real aqueous samples, which illustrated satisfactory recoveries (95–104.61%).     

Pipette‐tip solid‐phase extraction based on deep eutectic solvent modified graphene for the determination of sulfamerazine in river water

A green and novel deep eutectic solvent modified graphene was prepared and used as a neutral adsorbent for the rapid determination of sulfamerazine in a river water sample by pipette‐tip solid‐phase extraction. Compared with conventional graphene, deep eutectic solvent modified graphene can change the surface of graphene with wrinkled structure and higher selective extraction ability. The properties of deep eutectic solvent modified graphene and graphene were characterized by scanning electron microscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, and thermogravimetric analysis. Static adsorption showed deep eutectic solvent modified graphene had a higher adsorption ability (18.62 mg/g) than graphene. Under the optimum conditions, factors such as kinds of washing solvents and elution solvents and volume of elution solvent were evaluated. The limits of detection and quantification were 0.01 and 0.03 μg/mL, respectively. The method recoveries of sulfamerazine were in the range of 91.01–96.82% with associated intraday relative standard deviations ranging from 1.63 to 3.46% and interday relative standard deviations ranging from 0.68 to 3.84%. Deep eutectic solvent modified graphene showed satisfactory results (recovery was 95.38%) and potential for rapid purification of sulfamerazine in river water sample in combination with the pipette‐tip solid‐phase extraction method.     

Green solvents from ionic liquids and deep eutectic solvents to natural deep eutectic solvents

Natural deep eutectic solvents (NADESs) are defined as mixtures of certain molar ratios of natural compounds such as sugars, organic acids, amino acids, and organic bases that are abundant in organisms. The melting points of these mixtures are considerably lower than those of their individual ingredients and far below ambient temperature. The first publications on the NADES concept in 2011 created a great expectation regarding their potential as green solvents that could replace conventional organic solvents in a wide range of applications. This was largely because many of the drawbacks of conventional synthetic ionic liquids (ILs) and deep eutectic solvents (DESs), particularly their toxicity and environmental hazards, could be solved using NADESs. Throughout the last 7 years, the interest in NADESs has increased enormously as reflected by the exponential growth of the number of related publications. The research on NADESs has rapidly expanded particularly into the evaluation of the feasibility of their application in diverse fields such as the extraction of (targeted) bioactive compounds from natural sources, as media for enzymatic or chemical reactions, preservatives of labile compounds, or as vehicles of non–water-soluble compounds for pharmaceutical purposes. Along with the exploration of these potential applications, there have been a large number of other studies related to their physicochemical features, the search for new NADESs, the research into the interactions between NADES components or with solutes, the recovery of solutes from NADES solutions, and the ways of circumventing inherent problems of NADESs such as their high viscosity and the consequent difficulties in handling them. This article contains a review of the applications of NADESs as extraction solvents, reaction media, and preservative, providing also a perspective of their future.     

Metal-organic framework functionalized with deep eutectic solvent for solid-phase extraction of Rhodamine 6G in water and cosmetic products

An NH₂-MIL-53(Al)-DES(ChCl-Urea) nanocomposite was synthesized for extraction and determination of Rhodamine (Rh) 6G from environmental and cosmetic samples. The deep eutectic solvent (DES) was prepared by mixing choline chloride and urea in a mole ratio of 1:2. NH₂-MIL-53(Al)-DES(ChCl-Urea) nanocomposite was synthesized using the impregnation method at a ratio of 60:40 (w/w). The optimum conditions were determined after NH₂-MIL-53(Al)-DES(ChCl-Urea) characterization was performed. The optimum conditions were determined as pH 8, adsorbent amount of 15 mg, total adsorption-desorption time of 6 min, and enrichment factor of 20. The recovery values of the solid-phase extraction method for water and cosmetic samples under optimum conditions were between 95% and 106%. NH₂-MIL-53(Al)-DES(ChCl-Urea) nanocomposite was an economically advantageous adsorbent because of its reusability of 15 times. All analyses were performed using the ultraviolet-visible spectrophotometer. The linear range, limit of detection, and limit of quantification of the method were 100–1000, 9.80, and 32.68 μg/L, respectively. The obtained results showed that the synthesized nanocomposite is a suitable adsorbent for the determination of Rh 6G in water and cosmetic samples. The real sample applications were verified with the high-performance liquid chromatography system.     

Optimization of heteroatom doped graphene oxide by deep eutectic solvents and the application for pipette‐tip solid‐phase extraction of flavonoids

In order to improve the permeation and adsorption properties of graphene oxide, heteroatoms and deep eutectic solvent were introduced in this study. After being modified, the structural properties of graphene oxide were improved and the materials were applied to the determination of myricetin and rutin in tea sample by pipette‐tip solid‐phase extraction method. The materials were characterized by scanning electron microscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, X‐Ray diffractomer, energy dispersive spectroscopy, atomic force microscope, and specific surface area by Brunauer–Emmett–Teller N₂ adsorption desorption analysis. Meanwhile, they were tested by static and dynamic adsorption. The result showed that the materials after modifying had better adsorption amount for myricetin and rutin than graphene oxide. The calibration graphs of myricetin and rutin in MeOH were linear over 0.10–500.00 µg/mL, and the limits of detection and quantification were in the range of 0.00546–0.0182 µg/mL and 0.00741–0.0247 µg/mL, respectively. A reliable analytical method was developed for recognition targets in tea sample by DES modified nitrogen‐doped graphene oxide with satisfactory extraction recoveries (myricetin 99.77%, rutin 98.14%). It was potential for the rapid purification of myricetin and rutin in tea sample combined with the pipette‐tip solid‐phase extraction.     

Ligandless,deep eutectic solvent‐based ultrasound‐assisted dispersive liquid‐liquid microextraction with solidification of the aqueous phase for preconcentration of lead,cadmium, cobalt and nickel in water samples

A green and efficient sample preparation method using a deep eutectic solvent‐based ultrasounds‐assisted dispersive liquid–liquid microextraction with solidification of the aqueous phase followed by high performance liquid chromatography analysis was developed for preconcentration and determination of heavy metals in environmental samples. In the proposed method, a novel, low density deep eutectic solvent was prepared by mixing trihexyl(tetradecyl)phosphonium chloride and thiosalicylic acid at a molar ratio of 1:2 and used both as an extractant and complexing agent. Ultrasound was used to disperse the extractant in the aqueous phase of the sample. Then, the phases were separated by centrifugation, after which the aqueous phase was frozen and the surface extractant phase was dissolved in a small volume of acetonitrile and subjected to liquid chromatographic analysis. The proposed method provided precisions (relative standard deviation, n = 5) in the range of 2.6–4.7%. The limit of detection were 0.05, 0.13, 0.06, and 0.11 µg/L for Pb(II), Cd(II), Co(II), Ni(II), respectively. The enhancement factors were equal to 154, 159, 162, and 158 for lead(II), cadmium(II), cobalt(II), and nickel(II), respectively. The accuracy of the proposed method was evaluated using certified reference materials (CA011b – hard drinking water, NIST 1643e – trace elements in water, TMRAIN‐04 – simulated rain sample).     

Vortex‐assisted natural deep eutectic solvent microextraction using response surface methodology optimization for determination of orthophosphate in water samples by molybdenum blue method

A new, rapid, and efficient microextraction technique named vortex‐assisted natural deep eutectic solvent microextraction has been developed for the preconcentration and determination of orthophosphate in real water samples. The method is based on the formation of the phosphomolybdenium blue complex followed by proposed microextraction procedure and subsequent spectrophotometric determination in a microcell. Screening study for the optimal composition of natural deep eutectic solvent was initially performed with different solvents, including choline chloride as hydrogen bond acceptor and different hydrogen bond donors. A ternary mixture of glucose‐choline chloride‐water was used as the most efficient extraction solvent. Response surface methodology based on the central composite design was used to optimize experimental parameters. Under optimal conditions, the calibration graph for orthophosphate determination was linear over the range of 2.0–80.0 µg/L (correlation coefficient of 0.9971) with a detection limit of 0.2 µg/L. The repeatability, reproducibility, and relative error values of the method were below 7%, indicating acceptable precision and accuracy. This approach, using natural deep eutectic solvent as an eco‐friendly solvent with high solubilization power and vortex mixing as an alternative energy source, represents a promising choice for a green separation and preconcentration methodology for determination of orthophosphate in real water samples.     

Evaluation of green and efficient deep eutectic solvents as media for extracting alkaloids from lotus leaf

Deep eutectic solvents (DESs) were applied as eco-friendly solvents in this study for the extraction of alkaloids from lotus leaf, including O-nornuciferine, N-nornuciferine, nuciferine and roemerine. A series of hydrophilic and hydrophobic DESs with different hydrogen bond donors and a acceptors were synthesized and screened for a suitable DESs for extraction of alkaloids from lotus leaf. The study results showed that the hydrophilic DES with choline chloride and propanediol had the highest extraction yield. The main factors affecting the extraction efficiency—choline chloride–propanediol ratio, water content in deep eutectic solvents, solid–liquid ratio and extraction time—were investigated via a single-factor experiment. The optimized extraction conditions were 30% of water in choline chloride–propanediol (1:4) for heated extraction for 30 min and solid–liquid ratio 1:100 g/ml. Under optimum conditions, the extraction yields of O-nornuciferine, N-nornuciferine, nuciferine and roemerine were 0.069, 0.152, 0.334 and 0.041 g/100 g respectively, which were higher than those of methanol in acidified aqueous solution. This study suggests considerable potential for DESs as promising materials for the green and efficient extraction solvents for bioactive alkaloids from natural sources.     

EMIES/p-TsOH型低共熔溶剂的合成及其氧化脱硫性能的研究

通过1-乙基-3-甲基咪唑硫酸乙酯离子液体（EMIES）和对甲苯磺酸（p-TsOH）的混合物制备EMIES/p-TsOH型低共熔溶剂。其结构特征通过红外光谱、氢谱和热重技术进行了分析。并以EMIES/p-TsOH作为催化剂与萃取剂,H₂O₂作为氧化剂研究了其对模拟油中的硫化物的脱除性能。考察了反应温度、n（H₂O₂）/n（S）比、低共熔溶剂加入量及硫化物类型对脱硫效果的影响。在最佳的条件下,模拟油中二苯并噻吩（DBT）、4,6-二甲基二苯并噻吩（4,6-DMDBT）和苯并噻吩（BT）的脱除率分别为96.2%、92.2%和88.8%。经过五次循环使用后,DBT的脱除率仍达到93.6%。对该脱硫体系进行了动力学分析,其表观活化能为66.4kJ/mol。     

低共熔液相微萃取-高效液相色谱法测定食用油中双酚AEI北大核心CSCD

建立了一种基于低共熔溶剂(DESs)的液液微萃取-高效液相色谱联用(LLME-HPLC)技术用于测定食用油中的双酚A(BPA)的方法,对比了3种DES和甲醇、乙二醇对食用油中BPA的萃取效率,研究了温度、萃取时间和萃取剂体积对萃取效率的影响。结果表明:氯化胆碱/乙二醇组成的DES萃取率最高;低共熔溶剂用量100μL,萃取温度25℃,萃取时间5 min时,萃取效率最高。BPA的检测限和定量限分别为0.10 mg/L和0.50 mg/L,加标回收率在86.3%~109.9%范围内,RSD小于6%。方法可用于食用油中BPA的检测。     

Air‐assisted dispersive liquid–liquid microextraction based on a new hydrophobic deep eutectic solvent for the preconcentration of benzophenone‐type UV filters from aqueous samples

Deep eutectic solvents are considered as new and green solvents that can be widely used in analytical chemistry such as microextraction. In the present work, a new dl‐ menthol‐based hydrophobic deep eutectic solvent was synthesized and used as extraction solvents in an air‐assisted dispersive liquid–liquid microextraction method for preconcentration and extraction of benzophenone‐type UV filters from aqueous samples followed by high‐performance liquid chromatography with diode array detection. In an experiment, the deep eutectic solvent formed by dl‐ menthol and decanoic acid was added to an aqueous solution containing the UV filters, and then the mixture was sucked up and injected five times by using a glass syringe, and a cloudy state was achieved. After extraction, the solution was centrifuged and the upper phase was subjected to high‐performance liquid chromatography for analysis. Various parameters such as the type and volume of the deep eutectic solvent, number of pulling, and pushing cycles, solution pH and salt concentration were investigated and optimized. Under the optimum conditions, the developed method exhibited low limits of detection and limits of quantitation, good linearity, and precision. Finally, the proposed method was successfully applied to determine the benzophenone‐type filters in environmental water samples with relative recoveries of 88.8–105.9%.     

Enhanced extraction of cleistanthol from Phyllanthus flexuosus by deep eutectic solvent-modified anion-exchange resin

Anion-exchange resin (AER) and choline chloride-based deep eutectic solvent-modified anion-exchange resin (DES-AER) were prepared, and their performance properties were assessed by Fourier transform infrared spectrometer (FTIR), field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM), and adsorption experiments. In addition, the separation characteristics on the solid-phase extraction (SPE) cartridges packed with octadecyl silica (ODS), AER, and DES-AER for rapid extraction of cleistanthol from Phyllanthus flexuosus extracts have been evaluated, with recoveries of the materials tested at 72.14, 68.21, and 82.11%, respectively. All results demonstrated that DES-AER not only offered higher adsorption capacity for cleistanthol but also exhibited better extraction efficiency of cleistanthol than those of ODS and AER. In this work, it is the first application of DES in the modification of AER, and the proposed DES-AER showed significant affinity and selectivity toward cleistanthol, which could have potential application for natural product extraction.     

Optimization of the extraction process of flavonoids from Trollius ledebouri with natural deep eutectic solvents

In recent years, natural deep eutectic solvents have been favored greatly due to their environment friendly, mild biological toxicity and simple biodegradability. Natural deep eutectic solvents gradually applied for the extracting bioactive compounds from natural products efficiently. In this study, 20 natural deep eutectic solvents were prepared and their physical and chemical properties were tested. The ultrasonic-assisted extraction method was used to extract flavonoids from Trollius ledebouri and high-performance liquid chromatography-ultraviolet was applied to examine two main bioactive flavonoids (orientin and vitexin). Compared with traditional solvents (water and 60% ethanol solution), natural deep eutectic solvents composed of L(-)-proline and levulinic acid (molar ratio 1:2) show a super extraction efficiency. On this basis, the response surface method was used to optimize the extraction temperature, extraction time, water contents, and solid–liquid ratio. As a consequence, the extraction temperature 60℃, extraction time 18 min, water content 14% (v/v), and the solid–liquid ratio 48 mL·g⁻¹ were chosen as the best extraction process. This study shows that natural deep eutectic solvents can effectively extract flavonoids from T. ledebouri, laying a foundation for the further application of natural deep eutectic solvents to extract bioactive compounds from natural products.     

Hydrophobic deep eutectic solvent as a green extractant for high‐performance liquid chromatographic determination of tetracyclines in water samples

A green extractant, hydrophobic deep eutectic solvent was first introduced for extraction of tetracycline, oxytetracycline, and chlortetracycline from environmental water samples prior to high‐performance liquid chromatography determination. Deep eutectic solvents consist of methyltrioctylammonium chloride and various medium‐chain alcohols/acids, and are easy in preparation, low cost and toxicity, desirably biodegradable, and biocompatible. The overall time required for sample preparation was 6 min and the volume of organic solvent used for extraction was only 400 µL. Under the optimized extraction condition, the present method yielded low limit of detection (0.5–2.0 ng/mL), acceptable precision (relative standard deviations < 9.7%), good linearity from 2.0 to 500 ng/mL (r² ≥ 0.9991). This optimized procedure was applied for determination of tetracyclines in different water samples with desirable spiked recovery ranged from 77.5 to 87.6%. There is, therefore, a great potential to further expand application of the method for investigation of other ultra‐trace analyte(s) in environmental matrixes.     

低共熔溶剂的应用研究现状

低共熔溶剂是两种或多种固体或液体物质通过氢键相互作用形成的液体溶剂,其熔点明显低于单一组分的熔点。与传统离子液体相比,低共熔溶剂成本更低,制备更容易,可生物降解,具有100%原子利用率和生物相容性及无毒无害等绿色特性,这些优点使其在许多研究领域被广泛研究。本文介绍了低共熔溶剂的最新分类,综述了低共熔溶剂在电化学、气体吸收、有机合成、功能材料合成、萃取分离、药物增溶及生物质预处理中的应用,并对低共熔溶剂的未来发展进行了展望。     

A simple and efficient sample preparation for taxanes in Taxus chinensis needles with natural menthol‐based aqueous deep eutectic solvent

Taxanes are natural anticancer constituents, and the sample preparation from matrix normally depends on organochlorine solvents. In this study, green and natural menthol‐based aqueous deep eutectic solvent was synthesized and used for sample preparation for taxanes. Five key parameters were optimized and the optimal preparation conditions were as follows: menthol/1‐propanol ratio 1:1 (mol/mol), solid–liquid ratio 1:30 g/mL, extraction time 30 min, ultrasonic power 250 W, and water content 80%. Under the above conditions, the total extraction efficiency of seven main taxanes was 1.25‐ to 1.44‐fold to the conventional methods. In addition, a high‐performance liquid chromatography method with C₁₈ column was established for quantitation of seven main taxanes in <25 min, which had excellent linearity (R² > 0.9986), precision (relative standard deviation < 3.00%), repeatability (relative standard deviation < 3.69%), and recovery (90.26–109.00%). This method performed the extraction, and enrichment processes simultaneously, and it had advantages such as high extraction efficiency, simple operation, low cost, and eco‐friendliness. This work indicated that the natural menthol‐based deep eutectic solvent aqueous could be an excellent alternative to the sample preparation from Taxus or other plants.     

Ionic liquid‐based ultrasound‐assisted extraction of fangchinoline and tetrandrine from Stephaniae tetrandrae

An ionic liquid‐based ultrasound‐assisted extraction method has been developed for the effective extraction of fangchinoline and tetrandrine from Stephaniae tetrandrae. The effects of some ultrasound‐assisted extraction parameters including the concentration of [BMIM][BF₄], pH, ultrasonic power and time were investigated to optimize the ultrasound‐assisted extraction conditions. Compared to the regular ultrasound‐assisted extraction and traditional refluent extraction, the proposed [BMIM][BF₄]‐based ultrasound‐assisted extraction offered shorter extraction times (from 6 h to 40 min) and remarkable higher efficiencies (approximately 30% improved), which supported the suitability of the proposed approach. In addition, the proposed approach was confirmed by the good correlation coefficient (R²), recovery and reproducibility (RSD, n = 5), which were in the range of 0.9992–0.9995, 85.5–101.1%, and 1.87–4.33%, respectively.     

Development of deep eutectic solvents applied in extraction and separation

Deep eutectic solvents, as an alternative to ionic liquids, have greener credentials than ionic liquids, and have attracted considerable attention in related chemical research. Deep eutectic solvents have attracted increasing attention in chemistry for the extraction and separation of various target compounds from natural products. This review highlights the preparation of deep eutectic solvents, unique properties of deep eutectic solvents, and synthesis of deep‐eutectic‐solvent‐based materials. On the other hand, application in the extraction and separation of deep eutectic solvents is also included in this report. In this paper, the available data and references in this field are reviewed to summarize the applications and developments of deep eutectic solvents. Based on the development of deep eutectic solvents, an exploitation of new deep eutectic solvents and deep eutectic solvents‐based materials is expected to diversify into extraction and separation.