Hollow-fibre supported liquid membrane extraction for determination of fluoxetine and norfluoxetine concentration at ultra trace level in sewage samples

In this study, a method was developed for determining the concentration of the pharmaceutical fluoxetine and its metabolite, norfluoxetine, in sewage water samples. Sample preparation was performed by hollow-fibre supported liquid membrane (HF-SLM) extraction with final analysis using liquid chromatography with UV detection. Several parameters were studied including type of organic solvent, sample and acceptor pH, and salt and humic acid content. The optimised method allowed determination of the analyte at the ng/L level in sewage water. A linear plot gave a correlation coefficient better than 0.991 for both analytes and resulted in limits of detection in sewage water of 11 and 12 ng/L, for fluoxetine and norfluoxetine, respectively. The enrichment factor was over 1700 for both analytes in sewage water. The repeatability and reproducibility were better than 8% and 17%, respectively. The developed methodology was used to study daily variations of fluoxetine and norfluoxetine in municipal sewage streams. Norfluoxetine has been detected for the first time in sewage water and a preliminary analysis gave average concentrations of 150 and 225 ng/L for norfluoxetine and fluoxetine, respectively.     

Comparison of solid-phase extraction sorbents for sample clean-up in the analysis of organic explosives

In this study, a method was developed for determination of steroid hormones (17beta-estradiol, estrone, 17alpha-ethynylestradiol) in tap and sewage water samples from Sweden. Sample preparation and analysis were performed by a hollow-fibre microporous membrane liquid-liquid extraction (HF-MMLLE) set-up combined with gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). In this approach, only the organic liquid in the lumen (10microL) of the hollow-fibre membrane was utilised for depleting extraction. Several parameters were studied, including: type of organic solvent, sample pH, salt and humic acid content. The optimised method allowed the determination of the analyte at the low ngL(-1) level in tap and sewage water. A linear plot gave correlation coefficients better than 0.995 and resulted in a method limit of detection of 1.6, 3 and 10ngL(-1) for 17beta-estradiol, estrone, and 17alpha-ethynylestradiol, respectively, in sewage water. Enrichment factors were over 1400 after derivatisation. The repeatabilities at 50 and 600ngL(-1) were better than 10% and 6%, respectively.     

C_(18)膜萃取/液相色谱-质谱联用法测定极地水体中有机磷酸酯

建立了C_(18)膜萃取/液相色谱-质谱联用技术测定极地水体中10种有机磷酸酯(OPEs)的方法。根据优化后的样品前处理及仪器方法,利用C_(18)膜富集4 L水体中的10种OPEs,经二氯甲烷超声提取,在电喷雾正离子模式下,采用选择反应监测(SRM)模式进行分析,线性相关系数为0.994 4~0.999 9。10种OPEs的加标回收率为64.1%~115%,方法检出限为0.08~0.55 ng/L。该方法适用于极地水体中10种OPEs的分析,利用该方法对北极水体样品中的10种OPEs进行检测,测得冰川融水中∑OPEs的质量浓度为0.64~6.64 ng/L,海水中∑OPEs的质量浓度为0.09~2.03 ng/L。     

Parts per trillion level determination of endocrine-disrupting chlorinated compounds in river water and wastewater effluent by stir-bar-sorptive extraction followed by gas chromatography–triple quadrupole mass spectrometry

A new analytical method using stir-bar-sorptive extraction (SBSE) followed by liquid desorption (LD) and gas chromatography with triple-quadrupole mass spectrometric detection (GC-QqQ-MS-MS) has been used for quantitative determination of 25 chlorinated endocrine-disrupting compounds (EDCs) in river water and wastewater. The experimental conditions affecting the SBSE-LD performance were studied and are discussed in detail. Results from systematic assay revealed that a 100-mL water sample, stir bars coated with 47?μL PDMS, an extraction time of 14?h (at 900?rpm), 5?% MeOH as modifier and 10?% NaCl resulted in the best analytical recovery of all the target compounds studied. Use of 1:1 ACN-MeOH as back-extraction solvent and two successive sonication steps, each for 5?min, resulted in the best performance for monitoring EDCs in water matrices. The method detection limits for most of the target compounds were very good- ≤?2?ng?L(-1) and ≤10?ng?L(-1) for river water and wastewater effluents respectively. Experimental recovery for all the compounds was >70?%, with the exception of simazine for which recovery from the matrix was 65?%. Signal enhancement observed for a few of the compounds in wastewater effluents was managed by use of matrix-matched standards and different injection liners. The method was successfully used for analysis of river water samples from Henares River (Spain) and wastewater effluent samples from wastewater-treatment plants (WWTP). Eleven of the 25 compounds studied were detected in both river water and wastewater effluents. Terbutylazine and methoxychlor were detected in almost all the river water and effluent samples; amounts varied between 37-58.5?ng?L(-1) and 15.2-46.8?ng?L(-1), respectively. This method was shown enable reliable, effective, and sensitive monitoring of chlorinated EDCs at nanogram levels in surface water and wastewater effluent.     

Simultaneous analysis of 16 sulfonamide and trimethoprim antibiotics in environmental waters by liquid chromatography-electrospray tandem mass spectrometry

A sensitive liquid chromatography-electrospray tandem mass spectrometry method combined with solid-phase extraction and silica cartridge cleanup was established for 16 sulfonamides and trimethoprim in various water matrices. Signal suppression of all target analytes in sewage treatment plant influent, effluent and river water was improved by this method developed in this study. The method detection limits for 17 analytes were 20-200 pg/L for influent, 16-120 pg/L for effluent and 8.0-60 pg/L for river water with overall mean recoveries of 62-102% in all studied matrices. This method was used to analyze residual sulfonamides and trimethoprim in wastewater and river samples from Japan, and 8 analytes (0.08 (sulfadimethoxine)-161 ng/L (sulfapyridine) in wastewater and 10 (0.03 (sulfamethizol)-8.9 ng/L (sulfaquinoxaline) in river samples were detected.     

Method development for measuring trace levels of penicillins in aqueous environmental samples

A method based on liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry with an electrospray ion source and a single quadrupole instrument (LC/ES-MS) has been developed for determining trace levels of eight widely used penicillins in aqueous environmental samples. Analyte extraction was performed from 4 L tap water, 2 L groundwater, 1 L river water, 0.2 L treated sewage and 0.1 L raw sewage, by using a Carbograph 4 cartridge. During removal of the solvent, penicillins were purposely allowed to convert into their penicilloyl methyl esters. This 'in situ' derivatization step resulted in a dramatic enhancement of the response of the ES-MS system for non-amphoteric penicillins. Analyte recoveries were better than 80% irrespective of the type of aqueous sample, with the exception of amoxicillin (76%) and ampicillin (77%) in tap water. At the level of 50 ng/L of each analyte in ground water, the within-day precision was in the range 6-10%. Calibration curves were linear for injected amounts up to 800 ng, with R(2) in the range 0.9952-0.9995. When injecting large equivalent volumes of the aqueous samples, the electrospray matrix effect altered in-source collision-induced dissociation (CID) spectra of the analytes by severely weakening signals for fragment ions, as compared to spectra of reference standards. Remedies to obviate this anomalous unwelcome effect are suggested. On the basis of a signal-to-noise ratio of 10, limits of quantification were estimated to range between 2 (cloxacillin) and 24 ng/L (amoxicillin) in river water.     

Pharmaceutical determination in surface and wastewaters using high-performance liquid chromatography-(electrospray)-mass spectrometry

A method was developed to determine 11 pharmaceutical compounds in water samples. The method uses SPE and HPLC coupled to MS (LC/MS) using ESI in both positive and negative modes. Three different sorbents were compared for the extraction of analytes from river and sewage treatment plant (STP) waters and OASIS HLB provided the best results. For the solid-phase extraction of 500 mL of river water samples, the recoveries were between 41 and 101% with the exception of acetaminophen, salicylic acid and naproxen. The LODs were between 3 and 5 ng/L for all the compounds, except naproxen which had an LOD of 15 ng/L. Acetaminophen, caffeine, carbamazepine, bezafibrate and ibuprofen were found in three of the tested river samples at ng/L levels and among them, the highest values were for caffeine and bezafibrate with 305 and 363 ng/L, respectively. For the influent and effluent water samples of the STP, volumes of 100 and 250 mL were used, respectively, to obtain acceptable recoveries. All the compounds showed recoveries between 33 and 91% for effluent samples and 33-72% for influent samples, with the exception of acetaminophen, salicylic acid and bezafibrate, which had lower recoveries. The method developed enabled pharmaceuticals in the influent and effluent sewage waters to be determined in five campaigns carried out between February 2004 and June 2005. Several pharmaceuticals were found in the influent samples: for instance, maximum concentrations of ibuprofen and caffeine were 6 and 40 microg/L, respectively.     

Simultaneous determination of macrolides, sulfonamides, and other pharmaceuticals in water samples by solid-phase extraction and LC-(ESI) MS

This paper describes a method for determining 11 pharmaceuticals in various water sources by SPE followed by LC-(ESI) MS. SPE was carried out with Oasis HLB and the recoveries were 33-67% for 250 and 100 mL sewage water, 55-77% for 500 mL river water and 72-98% for 1 L tap water, with the exception of sulfamethoxazole and omeprazole which showed lower recoveries in all kinds of sample. The LODs in river water were of 5 ng/L for sulfadiazine, trimethoprim, sulfamethazine, sulfamethoxazole, and ranitidine and 10 ng/L for the other compounds. The highest concentrations found in river waters were for sulfamethoxazole (50 ng/L). In influent sewage waters, ranitidine was the most commonly detected compound with a maximum value of 0.24 microg/L.     

Determination of endogenous and exogenous estrogens in effluents from sewage treatment plants at the ng/L-level

An analytical method for the determination of the major endogenous and exogenous estrogenic steriods in effluent water samples of sewage treatment plants (STPs) with a LOQ down to 1 ng/L and below has been developed. The exogenous estrogen 17α-ethynylestradiol, frequently used as estrogenic component in oral contraceptives, and the endogenous estrogen 17β-estradiol show the highest estrogenic potential, therefore they were part of our target compounds. In addition, the content of the synthetic gestagen levonorgestrel, also often administered in oral contraceptives, was determined. A solid-phase extraction system for high volume sampling of water up to 25 L was implemented. Two types of adsorbent, Amberlite XAD 2 and a mixture of LiChrolut EN/Bondesil C-18, respectively, were tested for their extraction efficiency of these polar analytes. Recovery rates with LiChrolut EN/¶Bondesil C-18 ranged up to 94 %, whereas sampling on XAD 2 led only to poor recoveries below 40 %. After a liquid chromatographic clean-up step on silicagel the steroids were converted into their trimethylsilyl-ethers by the reaction with MSTFA/TMSI (N-methyl-N-trimethylsilyl-2,2,2-trifluoroacetamide, trimethylsilyliodide) and were then determined by HRGC/MS in the selected ion mode. A limit of quantification over the whole procedure of at least 1 ng/L was reached for all analytes. In several effluent samples the input of estrogens by the STP of the cities Ulm and New Ulm into the river Danube was characterised. The concentrations commonly found ranged from 1 ng/L up to 13 ng/L, depending on the respective steroid.     

Determination of endogenous and exogenous estrogens in effluents from sewage treatment plants at the ng/L-level

An analytical method for the determination of the major endogenous and exogenous estrogenic steriods in effluent water samples of sewage treatment plants (STPs) with a LOQ down to 1 ng/L and below has been developed. The exogenous estrogen 17alpha-ethynylestradiol, frequently used as estrogenic component in oral contraceptives, and the endogenous estrogen 17beta-estradiol show the highest estrogenic potential, therefore they were part of our target compounds. In addition, the content of the synthetic gestagen levonorgestrel, also often administered in oral contraceptives, was determined. A solid-phase extraction system for high volume sampling of water up to 25 L was implemented. Two types of adsorbent, Amberlite XAD 2 and a mixture of LiChrolut EN/Bondesil C-18, respectively, were tested for their extraction efficiency of these polar analytes. Recovery rates with LiChrolut EN/Bondesil C-18 ranged up to 94%, whereas sampling on XAD 2 led only to poor recoveries below 40%. After a liquid chromatographic clean-up step on silicagel the steroids were converted into their trimethylsilyl-ethers by the reaction with MSTFA/TMSI (N-methyl-N-trimethylsilyl-2,2,2-trifluoroacetamide, trimethylsilyliodide) and were then determined by HRGC/MS in the selected ion mode. A limit of quantification over the whole procedure of at least 1 ng/L was reached for all analytes. In several effluent samples the input of estrogens by the STP of the cities Ulm and New Ulm into the river Danube was characterised. The concentrations commonly found ranged from 1 ng/L up to 13 ng/L, depending on the respective steroid.     

Improved method for the determination of zinc pyrithione in environmental water samples incorporating on-line extraction and preconcentration coupled with liquid chromatography atmospheric pressure chemical ionisation mass spectrometry

A method has been developed for the determination of zinc pyrithione (ZnPT) in environmental water samples using monolithic reversed-phase silica columns for rapid on-line large volume solid phase extraction in tandem with on-line matrix removal using sacrificial strong anion exchange (SAX) columns. This is coupled with reversed-phase liquid chromatography with atmospheric pressure chemical ionisation mass spectrometric detection. Limits of detection in spiked river water samples, using a 200 mL preconcentration volume, were determined as 18 ng L(-1), with a limit of quantitation of 62 ng L(-1). The percentage recovery from spiked river water was found to be 72+/-9 (n=3 extractions), whilst overall method precision, following 10 repeat complete analyses was found to be 27% RSD at 1 microg L(-1). Linearity was determined over the concentration range of 0.25-10 microg L(-1) and the calculated regression coefficient was R(2)=0.9802. The method was used to investigate the environmental fate of zinc pyrithione in waters and its partition coefficient between sediment and water phases.     

Determination of aromatic amine mutagens,PBTA-1 and PBTA-2, in river water by solid-phase extraction followed by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry

We describe a novel method for the determination of two kinds of aromatic amine mutagens, 2-[2-(acetylamino)-4-[bis(2-methoxyethyl)-amino]-5-amino-7-bromo-4-chloro-2H-benzotriazole (PBTA-1) and 2-[2-(acetylamino)-4-[bis(2-cyanoethyl)-ethylamino]-5-amino-7-bromo-4-chloro-2H-benzotriazole (PBTA-2), in river water based on liquid chromatography-electrospray ionization-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-ESI-MS-MS). A solid-phase extraction procedure was used for the extraction of PBTA-1 and PBTA-2 from river water. The procedure was rapid and the relative standard deviations were below 4%. The detection limits of PBTA-1 and PBTA-2 in river water using the proposed method were found to be 1 and 2 ng/l, respectively. The compounds were detected by this method in river water taken from two sites in the Yodo River system at the ng/l level.     

Multiwalled carbon nanotubes coated fibers for solid-phase microextraction of polybrominated diphenyl ethers in water and milk samples before gas chromatography with electron-capture detection

Determination of polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) in environmental samples has raised great concerns due to the widespread use of PBDEs and their potential risk to humans. Solid-phase microextraction (SPME) is a fast, simple, cost-effective, and green sample preparation technique and is widely used for environmental analysis, but reports on the application of SPME for determination of PBDEs are very limited, and only a few publications dealing with commercial SPME fibers are available for extraction of PBDEs. Herein, we report a novel SPME method using multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) as the SPME fiber coating for gas chromatography with electron-capture detection (GC-ECD) of PBDEs in environmental samples. The MWCNTs coating gave much higher enhancement factors (616-1756) than poly (5% dibenzene-95% dimethylsiloxane) coating (139-384) and activated carbon coating (193-423). Thirty-minute extraction of 10 mL of sample solution using the MWCNTs coated fiber for GC-ECD determination yielded the limits of detection of 3.6-8.6 ng L(-1) and exhibited good linearity of the calibration functions (r(2)>0.995). The precision (RSD%, n=4) for peak area and retention time at the 500 ng L(-1) level was 6.9-8.8% and 0.6-0.9%, respectively. The developed method was successfully applied for the analysis of real samples including local river water, wastewater, and milk samples. The recovery of the PBDEs at 500 ng L(-1) spiked in these samples ranged from 90 to 119%. No PBDEs were detected in the river water and skimmed milk samples, whereas in the wastewater sample, 134-215 ng L(-1) of PBDEs were found. The PBDEs were detected in all whole fat milk samples, ranging from 13 to 484 ng L(-1). In a semiskimmed milk sample, only BDE-47 was found at 21 ng L(-1).     

Stir bar sorptive extraction and comprehensive two-dimensional gas chromatography coupled to high-resolution time-of-flight mass spectrometry for ultra-trace analysis of organochlorine pesticides in river water

A method for the determination of ultra-trace amounts of organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) in river water was developed by using stir bar sorptive extraction (SBSE) followed by thermal desorption and comprehensive two-dimensional gas chromatography coupled to high-resolution time-of-flight mass spectrometry (SBSE-TD-GC×GC-HRTOF-MS). SBSE conditions such as extraction time profiles, phase ratio (β: sample volume/polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) volume), and modifier addition, were examined. Fifty milli-liter sample including 10% acetone was extracted for 3 h using stir bars with a length of 20 mm and coated with a 0.5 mm layer of PDMS (PDMS volume, 47 μL). The stir bar was thermally desorbed and subsequently analyzed by GC×GC-HRTOF-MS. The method showed good linearity over the concentration range from 50 to 1000 pg L(-1) or 2000 pg L(-1) for all analytes, and the correlation coefficients (r(2)) were greater than 0.9903 (except for β-HCH, r(2)=0.9870). The limit of detection (LOD) ranged from 10 to 44 pg L(-1). The method was successfully applied to the determination of 16 OCPs at pg L(-1) to ng L(-1) in river water. The results agree fairly well with the values obtained by a conventional liquid-liquid extraction (LLE)-GC-HRMS (selected ion monitoring: SIM) method using large sample volume (20 L). The method also allows screening of non-target compounds, e.g. pesticides and their degradation products, polyaromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), and pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs) and metabolites in the same river water sample, by using full spectrum acquisition with accurate mass in GC×GC.     

Simultaneous determination of a selected group of cytostatic drugs in water using high-performance liquid chromatography-triple-quadrupole mass spectrometry

In recent years, an increasing concern has risen about the presence of pharmaceuticals in the aquatic environment. Despite their toxicity, increasing consumption and release into the municipal sewage, only a few studies have been focused on cytostatic drugs, mainly due to the lack of methods for their simultaneous analysis. In this work, a method, based on solid-phase extraction prior to high-performance liquid chromatography-triple quadrupole mass spectrometry determination, was optimized and validated for the simultaneous determination of some (14) of the most widely used cytostatic drugs in river water, influent and effluent wastewater. Process efficiency was in the range between 41 and 99% in real samples, except for cytarabine (24%), docetaxel (17%) and methotrexate (30%), due to suppression effects; precision values were <11%, except for gemcitabine (up to 19%); and detection limits were in the range between 0.1 and 38 ng/L. Cytarabine, doxorubicin, etoposide, gemcitabine, iphosphamide and vinorelbine were found at concentration levels up to 14 ng/L in influent and effluent wastewater, showing an insignificant decrease during sewage treatment; cytarabine and gemcitabine were found in effluent wastewater and were also detected in river water associated with effluent discharges.     

Determination of antidepressants in surface and waste water samples by capillary electrophoresis with electrospray ionization mass spectrometric detection after preconcentration using off-line solid-phase extraction

A method for the quantitative determination of seven major antidepressants in surface waters and sewage treatment plant effluents by CE using ESI-MS is presented. Calibration curves for the selected analytes were prepared in Milli-Q purified water and Danube river water extract covering a concentration range of at least one order of magnitude. LODs achieved were between 6 and 13 microg/L for Trazodone and 39 and 53 microg/L for Sertraline in the Milli-Q purified water and Danube river water matrix, respectively. For sample preparation eight different SPE materials were investigated. Best results were obtained for a resin based on hydrophilic divinylbenzene (recoveries from Milli-Q purified water 93-96%; from Danube river water 85-99%). Finally, a series of eight sewage treatment plant effluents were investigated with respect to their content in the selected antidepressants. Six of these samples were tested positive for antidepressants, in particular Venlafaxine, Citalopram and Trazodone in concentrations between 36 and 322 ng/L.     

Hollow fiber supported liquid membrane extraction for ultrasensitive determination of trace lead by portable tungsten coil electrothermal atomic absorption spectrometry

Hollow fiber supported liquid membrane extraction (HF-SLME) was used to separate and enrich trace lead from a large volume of 250 mL water sample to a final tiny volume of 30 μL of 1-octanol, 5 μL of which was inject into a tungsten coil electrothermal atomic absorption spectrometer (W-coil ET-AAS) for determination of lead. Some important parameters that influenced the extraction and determination were investigated in detail, such as the concentration of ammonium pyrrolidine dithiocarbamate (APDC), pH of sample solution, stirring rate, extraction time, pyrolysis current, atomization current, carrier gas flow rate, as well as interferences. Under the optimized conditions, a practical enrichment factor of 499 and a limit of detection (3σ) of 0.2 ng mL^{− 1} were obtained. The calibration curve was linear in the range of 0.5–10 ng mL^{− 1}. The relative standard deviation (RSD) was 5.6% for five measurements of a 4 ng mL^{− 1} lead standard solution. The accuracy of this method was examined by the analysis of certified reference water samples (GBW(E)080398 and GSBZ(E) 50009-88) for lead. Finally, the proposed method was applied to the determination of lead in local tap water, pond water and river water, with recoveries in the range of 96–109% for spiked samples.     

Determination of isoflavones and coumestrol in river water and domestic wastewater sewage treatment plants

Phytoestrogens activate a biological response in vertebrata where they can mime or modulate the action of endogenous estrogens. For this reason they have been subjected to several studies about their physiological effects on humans and many analytical methodologies for their determination in food matrices and physiological fluids have been developed. On the contrary, little information can be found in literature about the presence of isoflavones and coumestrol in the environment, even if it is known that this may have significance. In the present study we investigated the presence of nine selected free and conjugated phytoestrogens in environmental water. A liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) based analytical methodology was developed and employed for detection of target compounds in surface water and wastewater.The methodology uses solid-phase extraction, followed by high performance liquid chromatography coupled to tandem mass spectrometry using an electrospray (ESI) interface operating in positive ion mode (LC-ESI-MS/MS). The extraction was made with 200 mg, 6 mL OASIS HLB^® cartridges. Recoveries for the selected compounds were in the 67-97% range for all the considered analytes. The method was employed for environmental monitoring. Samples of river water and wastewater collected over a 4-month period were analyzed with the developed procedure. Results showed the presence of isoflavones in most of the samples analyzed. Average concentration of target analytes found in wastewater sewage treatment plant influent ranged from 454 to 12 ng/L. In effluent water and river water the analytes were present at lower concentration.     

Dispersive liquid-liquid microextraction of organophosphorous pesticides using nonhalogenated solvents

Dispersive liquid-liquid microextraction (DLLME) combined with gas chromatography and mass spectrometry (GC-MS) was applied to the determination of five organophosphorous pesticides (OPPs) in water samples. The analytes included in this study were prophos, diazinon, chlorpyrifos methyl, fenchlorphos, and chlorpyrifos. The use of nonhalogenated solvents (cyclohexane, heptane, and octane) as extraction solvents was investigated using acetone, acetonitrile, or methanol, as dispersion solvents. The combination of less polar dispersion solvents (1-propanol and 2-propanol) and nonhalogenated extraction solvents was also studied in dispersive liquid-liquid microextraction for the first time. Several experimental conditions were tested (nature and volume of extraction solvents, nature and volume of dispersion solvents, salting-out effect) and the corresponding enrichment factors and recoveries were evaluated. The best microextraction condition was obtained using 50 μL of cyclohexane and 0.3 mL of 1-propanol. The detection and quantification limits were in the low ppt range, with values between 3.3-8.0 ng/L and 11.0-26.6 ng/L, respectively. Relative standard deviations were between 6.6 and 13.1% for a fortification level of 500 ng/L. At the same fortification level, the relative recoveries (RR) of Alvito's dam water, Judeu's river water, and well water samples were in the range of 50.3-97.1%.     

Simple, rapid, and sensitive determination of beta-blockers in environmental water using dispersive liquid-liquid microextraction followed by liquid chromatography with fluorescence detection

A novel method, dispersive liquid-liquid microextraction combined with liquid chromatography-fluorescence detection is proposed for the determination of three beta-blockers (metoprolol, bisoprolol, and betaxolol) in ground water, river water, and bottled mineral water. Some important parameters, such as the kind and volume of extraction and dispersive solvents, extraction time, pH, and salt effect were investigated and optimized. In the method, a suitable mixture of extraction solvent (60 μL carbon tetrachloride) and dispersive solvent (1 mL acetonitrile) were injected into the aqueous samples (5.00 mL) and the cloudy solution was observed. After centrifugation, the enriched analytes in the bottom CCl(4) phase were determined by liquid chromatography with fluorescence detection. Under the optimum conditions, the enrichment factors (EFs) for metoprolol, bisoprolol, and betaxolol were 180, 190, and 182, and the limits of detection (LODs) were 1.8, 1.4, and 1.0 ng L(-1) , respectively. A good linear relationship between the peak area and the concentration of analytes was obtained in the range of 3-150 ng L(-1) . The relative standard deviations (RSDs) for the extraction of 10 ng L(-1) of beta-blockers were in the range of 4.6-5.7% (n = 5). Compared with other methods, dispersive liquid-liquid microextraction is a very simple, rapid, sensitive (low limit of detection), and economical (only 1.06 mL volume of organic solvent) method, which is in compliance with the requirements of green analytical methodologies.