A magnetic knitting aromatic polymer as a new sorbent for use in solid-phase extraction of organics

Magnetic knitting aromatic polymers (Fe₃O₄/KAPs) are introduced here as a new kind of sorbents. KAPs are hyper-cross-linked-polymers that were prepared via a Friedl-Crafts reaction from triphenylphosphine and benzene as building blocks. The Fe₃O₄/KAP composite was obtained by coprecipitation of KAP with magnetite nanoparticles. The resulting Fe₃O₄/KAP is shown to be a viable magnetic sorbent for various organic materials such as the phenylurea herbicides (PUHs), including metoxuron, monuron, chlortoluron, monolinuron and buturon, and also for various phthalates, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and chlorophenols. The Fe₃O₄/KAP was characterized by means of Brunauer-Emmett-Teller surface area measurements, Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, thermogravimetry, X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy. Following desorption with acetonitrile, the analytes were quantified by using HPLC with UV detection. The effects of adsorbent dosage, extraction time, sample pH, ionic strength, desorption solvent and desorption time were optimized for the PUHs. Under optimal conditions, response is linear from 0.5–1.0 up to 50 ng·mL^?1 for the five PUHs. Lower limits of detection range between 0.05 and 0.30 ng·mL^?1. Other figures of merit include (a) high enrichment factors (60–297), (b) good recoveries (91.8–106.5%), and (c) relative standard deviations of <8.4%. The method was successfully applied to analysis of the PUHs in real samples (bottled mixed juice, milk and soymilk). The results indicate that such Fe₃O₄/KAPs have a wide application scope as an adsorbent for use in magnetic solid phase extraction.

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Graphical abstract A magnetic knitting aromatic polymer based nanocomposite (Fe₃O₄/KAP) was prepared by a one-pot method and explored as an absorbent for magnetic solid-phase extraction (MSPE) of phenylurea herbicides (PUHs) from bottled mixed juice, milk and soymilk samples before quantitation by HPLC with UV detection.

     

Hydrophilic hypercrosslinked polymeric sorbents for the solid-phase extraction of polar contaminants from water

Three new hypercrosslinked polymers with hydrophilic character arising from hydroxyl moieties in their skeletons have been prepared in microsphere format and applied to the off-line solid-phase extraction (SPE) of polar compounds from water samples. For sample volumes of 1000 ml, the recoveries of various polar pesticides, such as oxamyl, methomyl, selected phenolic compounds, as well as some pharmaceuticals, were close to 90%. The HXLPP-polar polymer with the best performance characteristics was applied to real samples. Its performance was also compared to commercially available sorbents, such as LiChrolut EN (hydrophobic, hypercrosslinked), Oasis HLB (hydrophilic, macroporous) and Isolute ENV+ (hydrophilic, hypercrosslinked); the new sorbent out-performed the commercially available sorbents. The polymer was applied successfully in off-line SPE of river water samples followed by liquid chromatography and ultraviolet detection, providing a good linear range and detection limits of 0.2 μg l⁻¹ for the majority of the compounds, with the exception of oxamyl, methomyl, guaiacol and salicylic acid where the detection limit was 0.5 μg l⁻¹.     

Evaluation of carbon nanocones/disks as sorbent material for solid-phase extraction

The potential of carbon nanocones/disks as sorbent material in solid-phase extraction (SPE) procedures has been evaluated. For this aim, a model analytical problem, the determination of chlorophenols in water samples, was selected. An accurately weighed amount of 20 mg of purified carbon nanocones/disks was packed in 3 mL commercial SPE cartridges. Once conditioned, up to 8 mL of water samples can be preconcentrated without analyte losses. The chlorophenols were eluted by using 200 μL of hexane. Aliquots of 2 μL of the organic extract were injected in the gas chromatograph–mass spectrometer for separation and quantification. The purification of the commercial nanocones/disks to reduce the presence of amorphous carbon has been successfully achieved by heating the carbon nanocones/disks at 450 °C for 20 min. Detection limits of chlorophenols were in the range 0.3–8 ng mL⁻¹ by using 2 mL of sample. Moreover, excellent average recovery values (98.8–100.9%) have been obtained after the analysis of water samples from different nature. Finally, the performance of the carbon nanocones/disks as sorbent material has been compared with that of multiwalled carbon nanotubes, providing the former better results under the experimental conditions assayed.     

Solid-phase extraction of polar compounds with a hydrophilic copolymeric sorbent

A new synthesized copolymer based on N-vinylimidazole-divinylbenzene (VIm-DVB) was tested as a sorbent for the solid-phase extraction (SPE) of polar analytes. In the on-line SPE, this synthesized sorbent enabled 100 ml of sample to be preconcentrated with recoveries as high as 80% for oxamyl, phenol (Ph) and derivates, bentazone and (4-chloro-2-methylphenoxy)acetic acid (MCPA). For the off-line SPE, 1000 ml of sample was extracted and recoveries were higher than 92% for all compounds with the exception of oxamyl (83%) and methomyl (78%). The VIm-DVB sorbent gives better recoveries than the previously synthesized 4-vinylpyridine-divinylbenzene (VP-DVB) resin and similar to such highly crosslinked commercial sorbents as LiChrolut EN or Oasis HLB. Real water samples were used to validate the on-line SPE method. Linearity was good and detection limits were between 0.1 and 0.2 microg l(-1).     

Evaluation of a magnetic polysulfone microcapsule containing organic modified montmorillonite as a novel solid-phase extraction sorbent with chlorophenols as model compounds

A porous polysulfone microcapsule containing organic modified montmorillonite and magnetic nanoparticles (OMMT-Fe₃O₄@PSF) has been successfully prepared by a phase-inversion method and evaluated as a magnetic solid-phase extraction (MSPE) sorbent for clean-up and enrichment of 4-chlorophenol (4-CP) and 2-chlorophenol (2-CP) in aqueous samples. Compared with a microcapsule containing the conventional extraction sorbent C18 (C18-Fe₃O₄@PSF), OMMT-Fe₃O₄@PSF had much lower cost, a faster adsorption rate, and superior uptake amounts for the investigated analytes. The proposed microcapsule has been developed for the extraction of 4-CP and 2-CP from environmental water samples and their analysis by high-performance liquid chromatography with UV detection (HPLC-UV). Various parameters, such as pH, extraction time, the mass of sorbent, and the desorption conditions, have been evaluated and the calibration curves of the chlorophenols were linear (R² ≥ 0.9985) in the range from 1.01 to 104.5 ng mL⁻¹. The limits of detection at a signal-to-noise (S/N) ratio of 3 were 0.22 and 0.17 ng mL⁻¹ and the limits of quantification calculated at S/N = 10 were 1.52 and 1.07 ng mL⁻¹ for 2-CP and 4-CP, respectively. The recoveries of 2-CP and 4-CP from natural water and the treated wastewater samples were in the range of 84.4-115% with relative standard deviations (RSDs) lower than 7.0%. The results have demonstrated the suitability of the MSPE approach for the analysis of trace chlorophenols in aqueous samples.     

Electrospun polymer nanofibers as a solid-phase extraction sorbent for the determination of trace pollutants in environmental water

This paper describes the novel preparation of three kinds of nanofibers [poly(styrene-co-methacrylic acid), poly(styrene-co-p-styrene sulfonate), polystyrene] investigated as solid-phase extraction (SPE) sorbents to extract six compounds (nitrobenzene, 2-naphthol, benzene, n-butyl p-hydroxybenzoate, naphthalene, p-dichlorobenzene) in environmental water by high-performance liquid chromatography. Parameters affecting extraction efficiency were investigated in detail to explore the extraction mechanism of the nanofibers. Under optimized conditions, six compounds followed an excellent linear relationship in the range 10–5,000 ng mL⁻¹ with coefficients of determination (r ²) greater than 0.99. The repeatability (expressed as relative standard deviations) was from 3.0 to 7.0%, corresponding to 2.0 mL of water samples at 25 and 500 ng mL⁻¹ spiked levels for the six compounds. The limits of detection varied from 0.01 to 0.15 ng mL⁻¹ (signal-to-noise ratio of3). A comparison of the SPE using nanofibers as sorbents and the most commonly used octadecylsilica SPE cartridges was carried out in terms of absolute recovery, sensitivity, and reproducibility for the compounds investigated. Finally, the method was applied to four real water samples. The results highlighted the importance of functional groups, and the polarity of nanofibers in controlling sorption of target compounds, and clearly showed that the new method could be a viable and environmentally friendly technique for analyzing pollutants in environmental samples.     

Monodisperse, hypercrosslinked polymer microspheres as tailor-made sorbents for highly efficient solid-phase extractions of polar pollutants from water samples

In this detailed analytical study, we have evaluated in-house synthesised polymeric solid-phase extraction (SPE) sorbents in the form of monodisperse, hypercrosslinked polymer microspheres with diameters in the low micrometre range (approximately 4 microm). More specifically, their performance in the on-line SPE of a group of polar pollutants has been investigated thoroughly. The novel hypercrosslinked materials were compared with satisfactory results to commercial SPE sorbents with similar chemical and morphological properties, albeit that the commercial materials had higher particle sizes and broader particle size distributions. The on-line SPE method developed using these novel particles as packing material was applied successfully to ultrapure, mineral, tap and Ebre river water samples, with near total recoveries of all the analytes studied when 500 ml samples were percolated through the sorbents. Method validation with river water samples demonstrated good linearity, low detection limits as well as satisfactory precision in terms of repeatability and reproducibility, with values of relative standard deviation (%RSD) lower than 6.7 and 8.7%, respectively.     

Evaluation of single-walled carbon nanohorns as sorbent in dispersive micro solid-phase extraction

A new dispersive micro solid-phase extraction method which uses single-walled carbon nanohorns (SWNHs) as sorbent is proposed. The procedure combines the excellent sorbent properties of the nanoparticles with the efficiency of the dispersion of the material in the sample matrix. Under these conditions, the interaction with the analytes is maximized. The determination of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons was selected as model analytical problem. Two dispersion strategies were evaluated, being the functionalization via microwave irradiation better than the use of a surfactant. The extraction was accomplished by adding 1 mL of oxidized SWHNs (o-SWNHs) dispersion to 10 mL of water sample. After extraction, the mixture was passed through a disposable Nylon filter were the nanoparticles enriched with the PAHs were retained. The elution was carried out with 100 μL of hexane. The limits of detection achieved were between 30 and 60 ng L⁻¹ with a precision (as repeatability) better than 12.5%. The recoveries obtained for the analytes in three different water samples were acceptable in all instances. The performance of o-SWNHs was favourably compared with that provided by carboxylated single-walled carbon nanotubes and thermally treated carbon nanocones.     

On-line trace enrichment of phenolic compounds from water using a pyrrole-based polymer as the solid-phase extraction sorbent coupled with high-performance liquid chromatography

A pyrrole-based conductive polymer was prepared and applied as new sorbent for on-line solid-phase extraction (SPE) of phenol and chlorophenols from water samples. Polypyrrole (PPy) was synthesized by chemical oxidation of the monomer in non-aqueous solution. The efficiency of this polymer for extraction of phenol and chlorophenols was evaluated using 35 mg of PPy as the sorbent in an on-line SPE system coupled to reversed-phase liquid chromatography with UV detection. The mobile phase were mixture of phosphate buffer-acetonitrile and compounds were eluted by the mobile phase using a six-port switching valve. High volumes of water, up to 160 ml, could be preconcentrated without the loss of phenols, except for the more polar ones. The R.S.D. for a river water sample spiked with phenol and chlorophenols at sub-ppb level was lower than 7% (n=5) and detection limits of 15-100 and 35-150 ng l⁻¹ for tap and river water were obtained, respectively.     

Evaluation of a hypercrosslinked polystyrene, MN-200, as a sorbent for the preconcentration of volatile organic compounds in air

Breakthrough volumes, average percentage recoveries, and storage stabilities were obtained for vapors of 8 volatile organic compounds (pentane, octane, undecane, isooctane, cyclohexane, toluene, methanol, and dichloromethane) on a new adsorbent material, Hypersol-Macronet, MN-200. Breakthrough volumes were estimated as half of the gas chromatographic specific retention volumes at 20 degrees C for the compounds. Recoveries of the adsorbates were determined by both solvent extraction and thermal desorption methods. The results obtained compare favorably with those for Tenax GR (values reported in the published literature and others obtained in our laboratory). Results of storage stability studies on MN-200 meet the criterion for acceptability (<10% loss). High adsorption capacity for very volatile and polar compounds, combined with ease of desorption of less volatile compounds, render MN-200 a highly promising adsorbent for sampling volatile organic compounds in indoor and outdoor air.     

Magnetic solid-phase extraction using magnetic hypercrosslinked polymer for rapid determination of illegal drugs in urine

A novel magnetic material Fe₃O₄/SiO₂/P(MAA‐co‐VBC‐co‐DVB) was prepared via the hypercrosslinking of its precursor which was produced via precipitation polymerization of methacrylic acid (MAA), vinylbenzyl chloride (VBC), and divinylbenzene (DVB) in the presence of Fe₃O₄/SiO₂ submicrospheres with the surface containing abundant reactive double bonds. The resultant sorbent was characterized by scan electron microscopy, N₂ adsorption, and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. It was found that this material had remarkable features such as large surface area (500 m²/g) and pore volume (0.32 cm³/g), as well as desirable chemical composition (including hydrophobic and ion‐exchange moieties). Taking advantages of the Fe₃O₄/SiO₂/P(MAA‐co‐VBC‐co‐DVB), a magnetic SPE (MSPE) coupled with capillary electrophoresis (CE) method was developed for the determination of illegal drugs in urine samples. The extraction time could be clearly shortened up to 3 min. The recoveries of these drug compounds were in the range of 84.0–123% with relative standard deviations ranging between 1.7 and 10.5%; the limit of detection was in the range of 4.0–6.0 μg/L. The proposed method is simple, effective, and low‐cost, and provides an accurate and sensitive detection platform for abused drug analysis.     

The investigation of electrospun polymer nanofibers as a solid-phase extraction sorbent for the determination of trazodone in human plasma

A novel micro-extraction procedure was developed through the use of an electrospun polymer nanofiber as a solid-phase extraction (SPE) sorbent to directly extract trazodone from human plasma. The target compound was then monitored by a high performance liquid chromatography with ultraviolet detector (HPLC-UV) system. Parameters of influencing the extraction efficiency, such as fiber diameter, fiber packing amount, eluted solvent, pH and ionic strength were investigated. Under the optimized conditions, a linear response for trazodone over the range of 20-2000 ng mL⁻¹ was achieved with a γ² value of 0.9996. The precision of the method was examined with relative standard deviations of 5.7, 2.7, 2.2% corresponding to 50, 200, and 500 ng mL⁻¹, respectively, of trazodone spiked into 0.1 mL of plasma samples. The extraction recoveries of 58.3-75.2% and the relative recoveries of 94.6-105.5% were obtained. The limit of detection (LOD) was determined to be 8 ng mL⁻¹. A 15 min of HPLC gradient was successfully applied to determine trazodone from human plasma. Due to its simplicity, selectivity and sensitivity, the method may be applied to pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic studies of drugs.     

Retention properties of a cyanopropylsiloxane-bonded silica-based sorbent for solid-phase extraction

The characteristic kinetic and retention properties of a silica-based cyanopropylsiloxane-bonded sorbent for solid-phase extraction are described. Abraham′s solvation parameter model is used to characterize the contribution of individual intermolecular interactions to retention under liquid chromatographic and sample processing conditions with aqueous methanol mixtures as the mobile phase. The main features governing retention by the sorbent are the solute's size and hydrogen-bond basicity; interactions of a dipole type are not significant when aqueous methanol solutions are employed as the mobile phase. Compared to typical silica-based octadecylsioxane-bonded sorbents the greater difficulty of forming a cavity in the solvated cyanopropylsiloxane-bonded sorbent more than offsets the more favorable dipole-type and solute hydrogenbond base interactions of the cyanopropylsiloxane-bonded sorbent. It is shown that there are no practical circumstances for which a cyanopropylsiloxane-bonded sorbent would be more useful than a typical ODS sorbent for the isolation of organic non-electrolytes from water by solid-phase extraction.     

Solid-phase extraction with a dibutylmelamine-imprinted polymer as triazine herbicide-selective sorbent

Triazine herbicide-selective polymer spheres were prepared by molecular imprinting using dibutylmelamine (DBM) as a template in suspension polymerization, and were utilized in solid-phase extraction (SPE) of atrazine. Atrazine-selective SPE was successfully demonstrated with a recovery of ca. 97% and an enrichment factor of 50, proving the good aptitude of DBM as the template species for developing a specific sorbent for triazine herbicides. It is also noteworthy that DBM-imprinted polymers have no possibility of disturbance in agrochemical analyses even if DBM remained in the polymer, which may occur by insufficient washing at the stage of removing the template to yield the binding sites, increasing the availability of imprinted polymers for practical applications.     

Preparation of cyano-functionalized multiwalled carbon nanotubes as solid-phase extraction sorbent for preconcentration of phenolic compounds in environmental water

In the present work, we showed a novel method to synthesize cyano-functionalized multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs-CN) and utilize it as a solid-phase extraction sorbent for preconcentration of phenolic compounds in environmental water samples. MWCNTs-CN was synthesized through surface functionalization of multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs). The functional groups on the surface of modified MWCNTs were characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, thermogravimetric analysis and scanning electron microscopy. The analytical procedure was based on a conventional solid-phase extraction step for which 100 mg of MWCNTs-CN were packed in a 3 mL polypropylene cartridge. Analytes were thus isolated and preconcentrated from the pretreated samples and subsequently detected on high-performance liquid chromatography-ultraviolet detection. The results showed the proposed method exhibited good sensitivity and precision for the extraction and elution of analytes. The limit of detections (S/N = 3) of the method were 0.45, 0.09, 0.08, and 3.00 ng mL(-1) for p-chlorophenol, 1-naphthol, 2-naphthol, and 2,4-dichlorophenol, respectively. The mean relative recoveries (n = 3) were between 80.28 and 103.13%, and the repeatability (RSD ≤ 5.10%) and reproducibility (RSD ≤ 7.68%) were accepted. This developed method was applied to determine phenolic compounds in environmental water samples. There is a positive result only for 2-naphthol with concentration of 0.38 ng mL(-1) in seawater sample.     

Evaluation of beta-cyclodextrin bonded silica as a selective sorbent for the solid-phase extraction of 4-nitrophenol and 2,4-dinitrophenol.

A beta-cyclodextrin bonded silica was synthesized by using a convenient method, and was evaluated as a selective sorbent for the solid-phase extraction of 4-nitrophenol and 2,4-dinitrophenol. When double-distilled water was used as the sample matrix, the sorbent showed a strong capacity to adsorb 4-nitrophenol and 2,4-dinitrophenol; the recoveries were found to be 96% and 99%, respectively, with a 1 L water sample. The selectivity of the sorbent was investigated by using a washing step with methanol. Most of the phenols were washed out with 5 mL of methanol, while 4-nitrophenol and 2,4-dinitrophenol still gave recoveries of 94% and 90%. The solution for efficiently eluting the analytes was optimized and the effect of the inorganic salt on the extraction was examined. In order to investigate the potentiality of the sorbent in dealing with real water samples, water from Donghu lake (Wuhan, China) spiked with nine phenolic compounds at microgram per liter levels were preconcentrated on this cartridge.     

槲皮素分子印迹聚合物的制备及固相萃取性能研究

采用分子印迹技术, 以槲皮素为模板分子, 丙烯酰胺为功能单体, 乙二醇二甲基丙烯酸脂为交联剂, 通过热引发聚合, 制备了槲皮素分子印迹聚合物, 并通过装入固相萃取柱试验了聚合物对槲皮素的选择性能. 结果表明, 该分子印迹聚合物对槲皮素具有高度选择性, 为从天然产物中高效分离富集黄酮活性成分槲皮素提供了一种新材料.     

Poly(methyloctylsiloxane) immobilized on silica as a sorbent for solid-phase extraction of some pesticides

A laboratory-made sorbent for solid-phase extraction (SPE) was obtained by thermal immobilization of poly(methyloctylsiloxane) (PMOS) onto silica. Cartridges packed with the new sorbent were used for the simultaneous determination of imazethapyr, nicosulfuron, diuron, linuron and chlorimuron-ethyl in water. These pesticides were separated and quantified using high-performance liquid chromatography with diode array detection (HPLC-DAD). The recoveries achieved with the laboratory-made PMOS cartridges were compared with those of some commercially available silica-based and polymer-based cartridges having C18, C8 and NH(2) pendant groups. Method validation using the laboratory-made sorbent was performed for the five pesticides at three fortifications levels (1x, 2x and 10x the limit of quantification of each pesticide). The laboratory-made PMOS cartridge has low cost preparation and showed good recoveries (72-111%) for all pesticides. Repeatability and intermediate precision were lower than 15%. Its performance was similar or even better, in some cases, than those of the commercial cartridges.     

Dithizone-modified nanoporous fructose as a novel sorbent for solid-phase extraction of ultra-trace levels of heavy metals

We are introducing nanoporous fructose (np-F) modified with dithizone as a new solid-phase for extraction of heavy metals ions including cadmium(II), copper(II), nickel(II) and lead(II). Effects of pH value, flow rates, type, concentration and volume of the eluent, breakthrough volume, and of other ions were studied. Under optimized conditions, the extraction efficiency is >97 %, and the limits of detection are 0.025, 0.15, 0.5 and 1.2 ng mL^?1 for the ions of cadmium, copper, nickel, and lead, respectively, and the adsorption capacities for these ions are 101, 81, 74 and 178 mg g^?1. The modified np-F sorbent was characterized by thermogravimetric analysis, differential thermal analysis, transmission electron microscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectrometry, X-ray diffraction, and nitrogen adsorption surface area (BET) measurements.