Determination of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in aqueous samples by microwave assisted headspace solid-phase microextraction and gas chromatography/flame ionization detection

The novel pretreatment technique, microwave-assisted heating coupled to headspace solid-phase microextraction (MA-HS-SPME) has been studied for one-step in situ sample preparation for polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in aqueous samples before gas chromatography/flame ionization detection (GC/FID). The PAHs evaporated into headspace with the water by microwave irradiation, and absorbed directly on a SPME fiber in the headspace. After being desorbed from the SPME fiber in the GC injection port, PAHs were analyzed by GC/FID. Parameters affecting extraction efficiency, such as SPME fiber coating, adsorption temperature, microwave power and irradiation time, and desorption conditions were investigated.Experimental results indicated that extraction of 20 mL aqueous sample containing PAHs at optional pH, by microwave irradiation with effective power 145 W for 30 min (the same as the extraction time), and collection with a 65 μm PDMS/DVB fiber at 20 °C circular cooling water to control sampling temperature, resulted in the best extraction efficiency. Optimum desorption of PAHs from the SPME fiber in the GC hot injection port was achieved at 290 °C for 5 min. The method was developed using spiked water sample such as field water with a range of 0.1-200 μg/L PAHs. Detection limits varied from 0.03 to 1.0 μg/L for different PAHs based on S/N = 3 and the relative standard deviations for repeatability were <13%. A real sample was collected from the scrubber water of an incineration system. PAHs of two to three rings were measured with concentrations varied from 0.35 to 7.53 μg/L. Recovery was more than 88% and R.S.D. was less than 17%. The proposed method is a simple, rapid, and organic solvent-free procedure for determination of PAHs in wastewater.     

Analysis of aqueous pyrethroid residuals by one-step microwave-assisted headspace solid-phase microextraction and gas chromatography with electron capture detection

A one-step microwave-assisted headspace solid-phase microextraction (MA-HS-SPME) has been applied to be a pretreatment step in the analysis of aqueous pyrethroid residuals by gas chromatography (GC) with electron capture detection (ECD). Microwave heating was applied to accelerate the vaporization of pyrethroids (bioallenthrin, bifenthrin, fenpropathrin, cyhalothrin, permethrin, cyfluthrin, cypermethrin, fluvalinate, fenvalerate and deltamethrin) into the headspace, and then being absorbed directly on a SPME fiber under the controlled conditions. Optimal conditions for the SPME sampling, such as the selection of sampling fiber, sample pH, sampling temperature and time, microwave irradiation power, desorption temperature and time were investigated and then applied to real sample analysis. Experimental results indicated that the extraction of pyrethroids from a 20-mL aquatic sample (pH 4.0) was achieved with the best efficiency through the use of a 100-μm PDMS fiber, microwave irradiation of 157 W and sampling at 30 °C for 10 min. Under optimum conditions, the detections were linear in the range of 0.05-0.5 μg/L with the square of correlation coefficients (R²) of >0.9913 for pyrethroids except bifenthrin being 0.9812. Method detection limits (MDL) were found to be varied from 0.2 to 2.6 ng/L for different pyrethroids based on S/N (signal to noise) = 3. The coefficients of variation (CVs) for repeatability were 7-21%. A field underground water sample was analyzed with recovery between 88.5% to 115.5%. This method was proven to be a very simple, rapid, and solvent-free process to achieve the sample pretreatment before the analysis of trace pyrethroids in aqueous samples by gas chromatography.     

Microwave-assisted headspace single-drop microextration of chlorobenzenes from water samples

A one-step and in-situ sample preparation method used for quantifying chlorobenzene compounds in water samples has been developed, coupling microwave and headspace single-drop microextraction (MW-HS-SDME). The chlorobenzenes in water samples were extracted directly onto an ionic liquid single-drop in headspace mode under the aid of microwave radiation. For optimization, a Plackett-Burman screening design was initially used, followed by a mixed-level factorial design. The factors considered were: drop volume, aqueous sample volume, stirring speed, ionic strength, extraction time, ionic liquid type, microwave power and length of the Y-shaped glass-tube. The optimum experimental conditions found from this statistical evaluation were: a 5 μL microdrop of 1-hexyl-3-methylimidazolium hexafluorophosphate exposed for 20 min to the headspace of a 30 mL aqueous sample, irradiated by microwaves at 200 W and placed in a 50 mL spherical flask connected to a 25 cm Y-shaped glass-tube. Under the optimised experimental conditions, the response of a high performance liquid chromatographic system was found to be linear over the range studied and with correlation coefficients ranging between 0.9995 and 0.9999. The method showed a good level of repeatability, with relative standard deviations varying between 2.3 and 8.3% (n = 5). Detection limits were found in the low μg L⁻¹ range varying between 0.016 and 0.039 μg L⁻¹. Overall, the performance of the proposed method demonstrated the favourable effect of microwave sample irradiation upon HS-SDME. Finally, recovery studies from different types of environmental water samples revealed that matrix had little effect upon extraction.     

Hollow fiber-liquid-phase microextraction of fungicides from orange juices

Liquid-phase microextraction (LPME) based on polypropylene hollow fibers was evaluated for the extraction of the post-harvest fungicides thiabendazole (TBZ), carbendazim (CBZ) and imazalil (IMZ) from orange juices. Direct LPME was performed without any sample pretreatment prior to the extraction, using a simple home-built equipment. A volume of 500 μL of 840 mM NaOH was added to 3 mL of orange juice in order to compensate the acidity of the samples and to adjust pH into the alkaline region. Analytes were extracted in their neutral state through a supported liquid membrane (SLM) of 2-octanone into 20 μL of a stagnant aqueous solution of 10 mM HCl inside the lumen of the hollow fiber. Subsequently, the acceptor solution was directly subjected to analysis. Capillary electrophoresis (CE) was used during the optimization of the extraction procedure. Working under the optimized extraction conditions, LPME effectively extracted the analytes from different orange juices, regardless of different pH or solid material (pulp) present in the sample, with recoveries that ranged between 17.0 and 33.7%. The analytical performance of the method was evaluated by liquid chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry (LC/MS). This technique provided better sensitivity than CE and permitted the detection below the μg L⁻¹ level. The relative standard deviations of the recoveries (RSDs) ranged between 3.4 and 10.6%, which are acceptable values for a manual microextraction technique without any previous sample treatment, using a home-built equipment and working under non-equilibrium conditions (30 min extraction). Linearity was obtained in the range 0.1–10.0 μg L⁻¹, with r = 0.999 and 0.998 for TBZ and IMZ, respectively. Limits of detection were below 0.1 μg L⁻¹ and are consistent with the maximum residue levels permitted for pesticides in drinking water, which is the most restrictive regulation applicable for these kinds of samples. It has been demonstrated the suitability of three-phase LPME for the extraction of pesticides from citrus juices, suppressing any pretreatment step such as filtration or removal of the solid material from the sample, that may potentially involve a loss of analyte.     

Determination of ammonium in aqueous samples using new headspace dynamic in-syringe liquid-phase microextraction with in situ derivitazation coupled with liquid chromatography–fluorescence detection

A new simultaneous derivatization and extraction method for the preconcentration of ammonia using new one-step headspace dynamic in-syringe liquid-phase microextraction with in situ derivatization was developed for the trace determination of ammonium in aqueous samples by liquid chromatography with fluorescence detection (LC–FLD). The acceptor phase (as derivatization reagent) containing o-phthaldehyde and sodium sulfite was held within a syringe barrel and immersed in the headspace of sample container. The gaseous ammonia from the alkalized aqueous sample formed a stable isoindole derivative with the acceptor phase inside the syringe barrel through the reciprocated movements of plunger. After derivatization-cum-extraction, the acceptor phase was directly injected into LC–FLD for analysis. Parameters affecting the ammonia evolution and the extraction/derivatization efficiency such as sample matrix, pH, temperature, sampling time, and the composition of derivatization reagent, reaction temperature, and frequency of reciprocated plunger, were studied thoroughly. Results indicated that the maximum extraction efficiency was obtained by using 100 μL derivatization reagent in a 1-mL gastight syringe under 8 reciprocated movements of plunger per min to extract ammonia evolved from a 20 mL alkalized aqueous solution at 70 °C (preheated 4 min) with 380 rpm stirring for 8 min. The detection was linear in the concentration range of 0.625–10 μM with the correlation coefficient of 0.9967 and detection limit of 0.33 μM (5.6 ng mL⁻¹) based on S N⁻¹ = 3. The method was applied successfully to determine ammonium in real water samples without any prior cleanup of the samples, and has been proved to be a simple, sensitive, efficient and cost-effective procedure for trace ammonium determination in aqueous samples.     

One-step extraction and derivatization liquid-phase microextraction for the determination of chlorophenols by gas chromatography–mass spectrometry

A sample pretreatment method for the determination of 18 chlorophenols (CPs) in aqueous samples by derivatization liquid-phase microextraction (LPME) was investigated using gas chromatography–mass spectrometry. Derivatization reagent was spiked into the extraction solvent to combine derivatization and extraction into one step. High sensitivity of 18 CPs derivatives could be achieved after optimization of several parameters such as extraction solvent, percentage of derivatization reagent, extraction time, pH, and ionic strength. The results from the optimal method showed that calibration ranging from 0.5 to 500 μg L⁻¹ could be achieved with the RSDs between 1.75% and 9.39%, and the limits of detection (LOD) are ranging from 0.01 to 0.12 μg L⁻¹ for the CPs. Moreover, the proposed LPME method was compared with solid-phase microextraction (SPME) coupled with on-fiber derivatization technique. The results suggested that using both methods are quite agreeable. Furthermore, the recoveries of LPME evaluated by spiked environmental samples ranged from 87.9% (3,5-DCP) to 114.7% (2,3,5,6-TeCP), and environmental water samples collected from the Pearl River were analyzed with the optimized LPME method, the concentrations of 18 CPs ranged from 0.0237 μg L⁻¹ (3,5-DCP) to 0.3623 μg L⁻¹ (2,3,6-TCP).     

Hollow fiber supported ionic liquid membrane microextraction for determination of sulfonamides in environmental water samples by high-performance liquid chromatography

By using ionic liquid as membrane liquid and tri-n-octylphosphine oxide (TOPO) as additive, hollow fiber supported liquid phase microextraction (HF-LPME) was developed for the determination of five sulfonamides in environmental water samples by high-performance liquid chromatography with ultraviolet detection The extraction solvent and the parameters affecting the extraction enrichment factor such as the type and amount of carrier, pH and volume ratio of donor phase and acceptor phase, extraction time, salt-out effect and matrix effect were optimized. Under the optimal extraction conditions (organic liquid membrane phase: [C₈MIM][PF₆] with 14% TOPO (w/v); donor phase: 4 mL, pH 4.5 KH₂PO₄ with 2 M Na₂SO₄; acceptor phase: 25 μL, pH 13 NaOH; extraction time: 8 h), low detection limits (0.1–0.4 μg/L, RSD ≤ 5%) and good linear range (1–2000 ng/mL, R² ≥ 0.999) were obtained for all the analytes. The presence of humic acid (0–25 mg/L dissolved organic carbon) and bovine serum albumin (0–100 μg/mL) had no significant effect on the extraction efficiency. Good spike recoveries over the range of 82.2–103.2% were obtained when applying the proposed method on five real environmental water samples. These results indicated that this present method was very sensitive and reliable with good repeatabilities and excellent clean-up in water samples. The proposed method confirmed hollow fiber supported ionic liquid membrane based LPME to be robust to monitoring trace levels of sulfadiazine, sulfamerazine, sulfamethazine, sulfadimethoxine and sulfamethoxazole in aqueous samples.     

Selective trace enrichment of acidic pharmaceuticals in real water and sediment samples based on solid-phase extraction using multi-templates molecularly imprinted polymers

A novel multi-templates molecularly imprinted polymer (MIP), using acidic pharmaceuticals mixture (ibuprofen (IBP), naproxen (NPX), ketoprofen (KEP), diclofenac (DFC), and clofibric acid (CA)) as the template, was prepared as solid-phase extraction (SPE) material for the quantitative enrichment of acidic pharmaceuticals in environmental samples and off-line coupled with liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry (LC/MS/MS). Washing solvent was optimized in terms of kind and volume for removing the matrix constituents nonspecifically adsorbed on the MIP. When 1 L of water sample spiked at 1 μg/L was loaded onto the cartridge, the binding capacity of the MIP cartridge were 48.7 μg/g for KEP, 60.7 μg/g for NPX, 52 μg/g for CA, 61.3 μg/g for DFC and 60.7 μg/g for IBP, respectively, which are higher than those of the commercial single template MIP in organic medium (e.g. toluene) reported in the literature. Recoveries of the five acidic pharmaceuticals extracted from 1 L of real water samples such as lake water and wastewater spiked at 1 μg/L were more than 95%. The recoveries of acidic pharmaceuticals extracted from 10-g sediment sample spiked at the 10 ng/g level were in the range of 77.4–90.6%. To demonstrate the potential of the MIP obtained, a comparison with commercial C18 SPE cartridge was performed. Molecularly imprinted solid-phase extraction (MISPE) cartridge showed higher recoveries than commercial C18 SPE cartridge for acidic pharmaceuticals. These results showed the suitability of the MISPE method for the selective extraction of a group of structurally related compounds such as acidic pharmaceuticals.     

Application of dynamic liquid-phase microextraction and injection port derivatization combined with gas chromatography–mass spectrometry to the determination of acidic pharmaceutically active compounds in water samples

A method has been established for the determination of four pharmaceutically active compounds (ibuprofen, ketoprofen, naproxen and clofibric acid) in water samples using dynamic hollow fiber liquid-phase microextraction (HF/LPME) followed by gas chromatography (GC) injection port derivatization and GC–mass spectrometric (MS) determination. Dynamic HF/LPME is a novel approach to microextraction that involves the use of a programmable syringe pump to move the liquid phases participating in the extraction so as to facilitate the process. Trimethylanilinium hydroxide (TMAH) was used as derivatization reagent for the analytes to increase their volatility and improve chromatographic separation. Parameters that affect extraction efficiency (selection of organic solvent, volume of organic solvent, agitation in the donor phase, plunger movement and extraction time) were investigated. Under optimal conditions, the proposed method provided good enrichment factors up to 251, reproducibility ranging from 3.26% to 10.61%, and good linearity from 0.2 to 50 μg/L. The limits of detection ranged between 0.01 and 0.05 μg/L (S/N = 3) using selective ion monitoring. This method was applied to the determination of the four pharmaceutically active compounds in tap water and wastewater collected from a drain in the vicinity of a hospital.     

Dispersive liquid–liquid–liquid microextraction combined with liquid chromatography for the determination of chlorophenoxy acid herbicides in aqueous samples

A novel sample preparation method “Dispersive liquid–liquid–liquid microextraction” (DLLLME) was developed in this study. DLLLME was combined with liquid chromatography system to determine chlorophenoxy acid herbicide in aqueous samples. DLLLME is a rapid and environmentally friendly sample pretreatment method. In this study, 25 μL of 1,1,2,2-tetrachloroethane was added to the sample solution and the targeted analytes were extracted from the donor phase by manually shaking for 90 s. The organic phase was separated from the donor phase by centrifugation and was transferred into an insert. Acceptor phase was added to this insert. The analytes were then back-extracted into the acceptor phase by mixing the organic and acceptor phases by pumping those two solutions with a syringe plunger. After centrifugation, the organic phase was settled and removed with a microsyringe. The acceptor phase was injected into the UPLC system by auto sampler. Fine droplets were formed by shaking and pumping with the syringe plunger in DLLLME. The large interfacial area provided good extraction efficiency and shortened the extraction time needed. Conventional LLLME requires an extraction time of 40–60 min; an extraction time of approximately 2 min is sufficient with DLLLME. The DLLLME technique shows good linearity (r² ≥ 0.999), good repeatability (RSD: 4.0–12.2% for tap water; 5.7–8.5% for river water) and high sensitivity (LODs: 0.10–0.60 μg/L for tap water; 0.11–0.95 μg/L for river water).     

Liquid-phase microextraction and fibre-optics-based cuvetteless CCD-array micro-spectrophotometry for trace analysis

Liquid-phase microextraction (LPME) has been investigated for trace analysis in the present work in conjunction with fibre-optic-based micro-spectrophotometry which accommodates sample volume of 1 μL placed between the two ends of optical fibres. Methods have been evolved for the determination of (i) 1-100 μM and 0.5-20 μM of thiols by single drop microextraction (SDME) and LPME in 25 μL of the organic solvent, respectively, involving their reaction with the Ellman reagent and ion pair microextraction of thiolate ion formed; (ii) 70 μg to 7 mg L⁻¹ of chlorine/chlorine dioxide by headspace in-drop reaction with alternative reagents, viz., mixed phenylhydrazine-4-sulphonic acid and N-(1-naphthyl)ethylenediamine dihydrochloride, o-dianisidine, o-tolidine, and N,N-diethyl-p-phenylenediamine; (iii) 0.2-4 mg L⁻¹ of ammonia by reaction with 2,4-dinitro-1-fluorobenzene to give 2,4-dinitroaniline which was diazotized and coupled with 1-naphthylamine, the resulting dye was subjected to preconcentration by solid-phase extraction and LPME; and (iv) 25-750 μg L⁻¹ of iodide/total iodine by oxidation of iodide by 2-iodosobenzoate, microextraction of iodine in organic solvent, and re-extraction into aqueous starch-iodide reagent drop held in the organic phase. LPME using 25-30 μL of organic solvent was found to produce more sensitive results than SDME. The cuvetteless spectrophotometry as used in combination with sample handling techniques produced limits of detection of analytes which were better than obtained by previously reported spectrophotometry.     

Field analysis of benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene and xylene in water by portable gas chromatography-microflame ionization detector combined with headspace solid-phase microextraction

In this work, portable gas chromatography-microflame ionization detection (portable GC-μFID) coupled to headspace solid-phase microextraction (HS-SPME) was developed for the field analysis of benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene and xylene (BTEX) in water samples. The HS-SPME parameters such as fiber coating, extraction times, stirring rate, the ratio of headspace volume to sample volume, and sodium chloride concentration were studied. A 65 μm poly(dimethylsiloxane)-divinylbenzene (PDMS-DVB) SPME fiber, 900 rpm, 3.0 ml of headspace (1.0 ml water sample in 4.0 ml vial), and 35% sodium chloride concentration (w/v) were respectively chosen for the best extraction response. An extraction time of 1.0 min was enough to extract BTEX in water samples. The relative standard deviation (R.S.D.) for the procedure varied from 5.4% to 8.3%. The method detection limits (MDLs) found were lower than 1.5 μg/l, which was enough sensitive to detect the BTEX in water samples. The optimized method was applied to the field analysis of BTEX in wastewater samples. These experiment results show that portable GC-μFID combined with HS-SPME is a rapid, simple and effective tool for field analysis of BTEX in water samples.     

Simultaneous liquid–liquid microextraction and polypropylene microporous membrane solid-phase extraction of organochlorine pesticides in water,tomato and strawberry samples

A procedure involving the simultaneous performance of liquid–liquid microextraction and polypropylene microporous membrane solid-phase extraction was carried out. The applicability of the proposed procedure was evaluated through extraction of several organochlorine pesticides from river water, tomato and strawberry samples. The parameters affecting the extraction efficiency were optimized by multivariable designs, and the analytical features were estimated. Under optimized conditions, analytes were concentrated onto 1.5 cm long microporous membranes placed directly into the sample containing 15 mL of water with 20 μL of 1-octanol. The best extraction conditions were achieved at 59 °C, with 60 min of extraction time and 2.91 g of sodium chloride. The desorption of the analytes was carried out using 30 μL of a mixture of toluene and hexane in the proportion of 60:40% (v/v) for 10 min. Detection limits in the range of 2.7–20.0 ng L⁻¹, 0.50–1.15 μg kg⁻¹, and 1.53–12.77 μg kg⁻¹ were obtained for river water, strawberry and tomato samples, respectively. Good repeatability was obtained for all three sample types. The results suggest that the proposed procedure represents a very simple and low-cost microextraction alternative rendering adequate limits of quantification for the determination of organochlorine pesticides in environmental and food samples.     

Automated determination of aliphatic primary amines in wastewater by simultaneous derivatization and headspace solid-phase microextraction followed by gas chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry

This paper presents a fully automated method for determining ten primary amines in wastewater at ng/L levels. The method is based on simultaneous derivatization with pentafluorobenzaldehyde (PFBAY) and headspace solid-phase microextraction (HS-SPME) followed by gas chromatography coupled to ion trap tandem mass spectrometry (GC–IT-MS–MS). The influence of main factors on the efficiency of derivatization and of HS-SPME is described in detail and optimized by a central composite design. For all species, the highest enrichment factors were achieved using a 85 μm polyacrylate (PA) fiber exposed in the headspace of stirred water samples (750 rpm) at pH 12, containing 360 g/L of NaCl, at 40 °C for 15 min. Under optimized conditions, the proposed method achieved detection limits ranging from 10 to 100 ng/L (except for cyclohexylamine). The optimized method was then used to determine the presence of primary amines in various types of wastewater samples, such as influent and effluent wastewater from municipal and industrial wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) and a potable water treatment plant. Although the analysis of these samples revealed the presence of up to 1500 μg/L of certain primary amines in influent industrial wastewater, the concentration of these compounds in the effluent and in municipal and potable water was substantially lower, at low μg/L levels. The new derivatization–HS-SPME–GC–IT-MS–MS method is suitable for the fast, reliable and inexpensive determination of primary amines in wastewater in an automated procedure.     

Extraction and determination of organophosphorus pesticides in water samples by a new liquid phase microextraction-gas chromatography-flame photometric detection

A rapid, sensitive and efficient liquid phase microextraction (LPME) method was developed to determine trace concentrations of some organophosphorus pesticides in water samples. This method combines liquid phase microextraction with gas chromatographic (GC) analysis in a simple and inexpensive apparatus involving very little organic solvent consumption. It involves exposing a floated drop of an organic solvent on the surface of aqueous solution in a sealed vial. Experimental parameters which control the performance of LPME such as type of organic solvent, organic solvent and sample volumes, sample stirring rate, sample solution temperature, salt addition and exposure time were investigated and optimized. Finally, the enrichment factor, dynamic linear range (DLR), limit of detection (LOD) and precision of the method were evaluated by the water samples spiked with organophosphorus pesticides. Using optimum extraction conditions, very low detection limits (0.01-0.04 μg L⁻¹) and good linearities (0.9983 < r² < 0.9999) were achieved. The LPME was performed for determination of organophosphorus pesticides in different types of natural water samples and acceptable recoveries (96-104%) and precisions (3.5 < R.S.D.% < 8.9) were obtained. The results suggested that the newly proposed LPME method is a rapid, accurate and effective sample preparation method and could be successfully applied for extraction and determination of organophosphorus pesticides in water samples.     

Analysis of the plant growth regulator chlormequat in soil and water by means of liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry,pressurised liquid extraction,and solid-phase extraction

We present a new, precise and accurate method for quantitative analysis of chlormequat in soil and aqueous matrices. The method, which is based on LC–MS/MS, pressurised liquid extraction and solid-phase extraction, is eminently suitable for studying the fate of chlormequat in the soil environment. The limit of detection is 0.003–0.008 μg/L for rainwater, surface water and groundwater and 0.07–0.4 μg/kg for soil. In water samples amended to 0.04 μg/L, precision is better than 10%. The residual content of chlormequat in three agricultural topsoils analysed 4 months after its application was 23–55 μg/kg (12–23% of the amount applied). No trace of chlormequat was detected in groundwater from 66 water supply wells located in rural areas treated with chlormequat.     

Headspace liquid-phase microextraction of methamphetamine and amphetamine in urine by an aqueous drop

This study developed a headspace liquid-phase microextraction (LPME) method by using a single aqueous drop in combination with high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC)-UV detection for the determination of methamphetamine (MAP) and amphetamine (AP) in urine samples. The analytes, volatile and basic, were released from sample matrix into the headspace first, and then protonated and dissolved in an aqueous H₃PO₄ drop hanging in the headspace by a HPLC syringe. After extraction, this drop was directly injected into HPLC. Parameters affecting extraction efficiency were investigated and optimized. This method showed good linearity in the investigated concentration range of 1.0-1500 μg L⁻¹, repeatability of the extraction (R.S.D. < 5%, n = 6), and low detection limits (0.3 μg L⁻¹ for both analytes). Enrichment factors of about 400-fold and 220-fold were achieved for MAP and AP, respectively, at optimum conditions. The feasibility of the method was demonstrated by analyzing human urine samples.     

Microwave-assisted steam distillation for the determination of organochlorine pesticides and pyrethroids in Chinese teas

In this work, microwave-assisted steam distillation (MASD) extraction method followed by gas chromatography/electron capture detection (GC/ECD) was developed for the determination of organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) and pyrethroids in the Chinese teas. MASD is a combination of microwave-assisted extraction (MAE) and steam distillation techniques. Water vapor generated by microwave irradiation is used to accelerate desorption of the analytes from the sample, and the nonpolar organic solvent used for trapping the analytes is kept from direct contact with the sample by the water. Therefore, relatively clean extracts were obtained compared to the method directly using organic solvent as extraction solvent, such as ultrasonic extraction (USE). Microwave power of 200 W and irradiation time of 2 min was found to be the optimum conditions for the MASD process, and n-heptane was chosen as the analyte-trapping solvent in the study. Five OCPs (α-HCH, γ-HCH, dicofol, p,p′-DDE, p,p′-DDT) and two pyrethroids (bifenthrin, fenvalate) were determined using this extraction method in the tea samples. The relative standard deviation (R.S.D.) of the analytes varied from 2.2 to 8.4%, and the method detection limits (MDLs) found were lower than 0.23 μg/kg. The recoveries of the seven compounds in the Jasmine tea sample were between 84.04 and 110.1%. Comparative results obtained by MASD and USE were also discussed in the study.     

Determination of organophosphorous pesticides in water using in-syringe ultrasound-assisted emulsification and gas chromatography with electron-capture detection

An in-syringe ultrasound-assisted emulsification microextraction (USAEME) was developed for the extraction of organophosphorus pesticides (OPPs) from water samples. The OPPs subsequently analyzed gas chromatography (GC) using a microelectron capture detector (μECD). Ultrasound radiation was applied to accelerate the emulsification of μL-level low-density organic solvent in aqueous solutions to enhance the microextraction efficiency of OPPs in the sample preparation for GC-μECD. Parameters affecting the efficiency of USAEME, such as the extraction solvent, solvent volume, pH, salt-addition, and extraction time were thoroughly investigated. Based on experimental results, OPPs were extracted from a 5 mL aqueous sample by the addition of 20 μL toluene as the extraction solvent, followed by ultrasonication for 30 s, and then centrifugation for 3 min at 3200 rpm, offered the best extraction efficiency. Detections were linear in the concentration of 0.01–1 μg/L with detection limits between 1 ng/L and 2 ng/L for OPPs. Enrichment factors ranged from 330 to 699. Three spiked aqueous samples were analyzed, and recovery ranged from 90.1% to 104.7% for farm-field water, and 90.1% to 101.8% for industrial wastewater. The proposed method provides a simple, rapid, sensitive, inexpensive, and eco-friendly process for determining OPPs in water samples.     

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%.