Optimization of parameters for the alcoholic-assisted dispersive liquid–liquid microextraction of estrogens in water

Extraction and determination of estrogens in water samples were performed using alcoholic-assisted dispersive liquid–liquid microextraction (AA-DLLME) and high-performance liquid chromatography (UV/Vis detection). A Plackett–Burman design and a central composite design were applied to evaluate the AA-DLLME procedure. The effect of six parameters on extraction efficiency was investigated. The factors studied were volume of extraction and dispersive solvents, extraction time, pH, amount of salt and agitation rate. According to Plackett–Burman design results, the effective parameters were volume of extraction solvent and pH. Next, a central composite design was applied to obtain optimal condition. The optimized conditions were obtained at 220 μL 1-octanol as extraction solvent, 700 μL ethanol as dispersive solvent, pH 6 and 200 μL sample volume. Linearity was observed in the range of 1–500 μg L^?1 for E2 and 0.1–100 μg L^?1 for E1. Limits of detection were 0.1 μg L^?1 for E2 and 0.01 μg L^?1 for E1. The enrichment factors and extraction recoveries were 42.2, 46.4 and 80.4, 86.7, respectively. The relative standard deviations for determination of estrogens in water were in the range of 3.9–7.2 % (n = 3). The developed method was successfully applied for the determination of estrogens in environmental water samples.     

Optimization of alcohol‐assisted dispersive liquid–liquid microextraction by experimental design for the rapid determination of fluoxetine in biological samples

A sensitive and rapid method based on alcohol‐assisted dispersive liquid–liquid microextraction followed by high‐performance liquid chromatography for the determination of fluoxetine in human plasma and urine samples was developed. The effects of six parameters on the extraction recovery were investigated and optimized utilizing Plackett–Burman design and Box–Benken design, respectively. According to the Plackett–Burman design results, the volume of disperser solvent, extraction time, and stirring speed had no effect on the recovery of fluoxetine. The optimized conditions included a mixture of 172 μL of 1‐octanol as extraction solvent and 400 μL of methanol as disperser solvent, pH of 11.3 and 0% w/v of salt in the sample solution. Replicating the experiment in optimized condition for five times, gave the average extraction recoveries equal to 90.15%. The detection limit of fluoxetine in human plasma was obtained 3 ng/mL, and the linearity was in the range of 10–1200 ng/mL. The corresponding values for human urine were 4.2 ng/mL with the linearity range from 10 to 2000 ng/mL. Relative standard deviations for intra and inter day extraction of fluoxetine were less than 7% in five measurements. The developed method was successfully applied for the determination of fluoxetine in human plasma and urine samples.     

Optimization of modified dispersive liquid–liquid microextraction coupled with high‐performance liquid chromatography for the simultaneous preconcentration and determination of nitrazepam and midazolam drugs: An experimental design

A simple, sensitive, and rapid microextraction method, namely, ultrasound‐assisted surfactant‐enhanced emulsification microextraction based on the solidification of floating organic droplet method coupled with high‐performance liquid chromatography was developed for the simultaneous preconcentration and determination of nitrazepam and midazolam. The significant parameters affecting the extraction efficiency were considered using Plackett–Burman design as a screening method. To obtain the optimum conditions with consideration of the selected significant variables, a Box–Behnken design was used. The microextraction procedure was performed using 29.1 μL of 1‐undecanol, 1.36% (w/v) of NaCl, 10.0 μL of sodium dodecyl sulfate (25.0 μg mL^?1), and 1.0 μL of Tween80 (25.0 μg mL^?1) as an emulsifier in an extraction time of 20.0 min at pH 7.88. In order to investigate the validation of the developed method, some validation parameters including the linear dynamic range, repeatability, limit of detection, and recoveries were studied under the optimum conditions. The detection limits of the method were 0.017 and 0.086 ng mL^?1 for nitrazepam and midazolam, respectively. The extraction recovery percentages for the drugs studied were above 91.0 with acceptable relative standard deviation. The proposed methodology was successfully applied for the determination of these drugs in a number of human serum samples.     

Application of an optimized dispersive nanomaterial ultrasound‐assisted microextraction method for preconcentration of carbofuran and propoxur and their determination by high‐performance liquid chromatography with UV detection

An extraction method based on dispersive nanomaterial ultrasound‐assisted microextraction was used for the preconcentration of carbofuran and propoxur insecticides in water samples prior to high‐performance liquid chromatography with UV detection. ZnS:Ni nanoparticles were synthesized based on the reaction of the mixture of zinc acetate and nickel acetate with thioacetamide in aqueous media and then loaded on activated carbon (ZnS:Ni‐AC). Different methods were used for recognizing the properties of ZnS:Ni‐AC and then this nanomaterial was used for extraction of carbamate insecticide as new adsorbent. The influence of variables on the extraction method (such as amount of adsorbent (mg: NiZnS‐AC), pH and ionic strength of sample solution, vortex and ultrasonic time (min), ultrasound temperature and desorption volume (mL) was investigated by a screening 2^7–4 Plackett–Burman design. Then the significant variables were optimized by using a central composite design combined with a desirability function. At optimum conditions, this method had linear response >0.0060–10 μg/mL with detection limit 0.0015 μg/mL and relative standard deviations <5.0% (n = 3).     

A comparison of various modes of liquid–liquid based microextraction techniques: Determination of picric acid

Three modes of liquid–liquid based microextraction techniques – namely auxiliary solvent‐assisted dispersive liquid–liquid microextraction, auxiliary solvent‐assisted dispersive liquid–liquid microextraction with low‐solvent consumption, and ultrasound‐assisted emulsification microextraction – were compared. Picric acid was used as the model analyte. The determination is based on the reaction of picric acid with Astra Phloxine reagent to produce an ion associate easily extractable by various organic solvents, followed by spectrophotometric detection at 558 nm. Each of the compared procedures has both advantages and disadvantages. The main benefit of ultrasound‐assisted emulsification microextraction is that no hazardous chlorinated extraction solvents and no dispersive solvent are necessary. Therefore, this procedure was selected for validation. Under optimized experimental conditions (pH 3, 7 × 10^?5 mol/L of Astra Phloxine, and 100 μL of toluene), the calibration plot was linear in the range of 0.02–0.14 mg/L and the LOD was 7 μg/L of picric acid. The developed procedure was applied to the analysis of spiked water samples.     

Ultrasound‐assisted dispersive liquid–liquid microextraction combined with gas chromatography‐mass spectrometry in negative chemical ionization mode for the determination of polybrominated diphenyl ethers in water

A simple and economical method for the determination of eight polybrominated diphenyl ethers (BDE‐28, 47, 99, 100,153,154,183, and 209) in water was developed. This method involves the use of ultrasound‐assisted dispersive liquid–liquid microextraction combined with GC‐MS in negative chemical ionization mode. Various parameters affecting the extraction efficiency, including the type and volume of extraction and dispersive solvents, salt concentration, extraction time, and ultrasonic time, were investigated. A volume of 1.0 mL of acetone (dispersive solvent) containing 10 μL tetrachloroethylene (extraction solvent) was injected into 5.0 mL of water samples and then emulsified by ultrasound for 2.0 min to produce the cloudy solution. Under the optimal condition, the enrichment factors for the eight PBDEs were varied from 845‐ to 1050‐folds. Good linearity was observed in the range of 1.0–200 ng L^?1 for BDE‐28, 47, 99, and 100; 5.0–200 ng L^?1 for BDE‐153, 154, and 183; and 5.0–500 ng L^?1 for BDE‐209. The RSD values were in the range of 2.5–8.4% (n = 5) and the LODs ranged from 0.40 to 2.15 ng L^?1 (S/N = 3). The developed method was applied for the determination of eight BPDEs in the river and lake water samples, and the mean recoveries at spiking levels of 5.0 and 50.0 ng L^?1 were in the range of 70.6–105.1%.     

Ultrasound‐assisted,hybrid ionic liquid,dispersive liquid–liquid microextraction for the determination of insecticides in fruit juices based on partition coefficients

An ultrasound‐assisted, hybrid ionic liquid, dispersive liquid–liquid microextraction method coupled to high‐performance liquid chromatography with a variable‐wavelength detector was developed to detect ten insecticides, including diflubenzuron, triflumuron, hexaflumuron, flufenoxuron, lufenuron, diafenthiuron, transfluthrin, fenpropathrin, γ‐cyhalothrin and deltamethrin, in fruit juices. In this method, an appropriate extraction solvent was chosen based on the partition coefficient of the target compounds. A mixture of 1‐octyl‐2,3‐dimethylimidazolium bis(trifluoromethylsulfonyl)imide and 1‐hexyl‐3‐methylimidazolium bis(trifluoromethylsulfonyl)imide was used as the extractant. The extraction efficiency was screened using Plackett–Burman design and optimized using central composite design. Under the optimal conditions, good linearity was obtained for all the analytes in the pure water model and the fruit juice samples. In pure water, the recoveries of the ten insecticides ranged from 85.7 to 108.9%, with relative standard deviations for one day ranging from 1.24 to 2.64%. The limits of detection were in the range of 0.19–0.69 μg/L, and the enrichment factors were in the range of 123–160. The logarithm of the n‐octanol/water partition coefficient in this experiment is a useful reference to select a suitable extraction solvent, and the proposed technique was applied for the analysis of ten insecticides in fruit juice with satisfactory results.     

Ultrasound‐assisted magnetic dispersive solid‐phase microextraction: A novel approach for the rapid and efficient microextraction of naproxen and ibuprofen employing experimental design with high‐performance liquid chromatography

A simple, rapid, and sensitive method for the determination of naproxen and ibuprofen in complex biological and water matrices (cow milk, human urine, river, and well water samples) has been developed using ultrasound‐assisted magnetic dispersive solid‐phase microextraction. Magnetic ethylendiamine‐functionalized graphene oxide nanocomposite was synthesized and used as a novel adsorbent for the microextraction process and showed great adsorptive ability toward these analytes. Different parameters affecting the microextraction were optimized with the aid of the experimental design approach. A Plackett–Burman screening design was used to study the main variables affecting the microextraction process, and the Box–Behnken optimization design was used to optimize the previously selected variables for extraction of naproxen and ibuprofen. The optimized technique provides good repeatability (relative standard deviations of the intraday precision 3.1 and 3.3, interday precision of 5.6 and 6.1%), linearity (0.1–500 and 0.3–650 ng/mL), low limits of detection (0.03 and 0.1 ng/mL), and a high enrichment factor (168 and 146) for naproxen and ibuprofen, respectively. The proposed method can be successfully applied in routine analysis for determination of naproxen and ibuprofen in cow milk, human urine, and real water samples.     

Sequential dispersive liquid–liquid microextraction for the determination of aryloxyphenoxy‐propionate herbicides in water

A novel dispersive liquid–liquid microextraction (DLLME) method followed by HPLC analysis, termed sequential DLLME, was developed for the preconcentration and determination of aryloxyphenoxy‐propionate herbicides (i.e. haloxyfop‐R‐methyl, cyhalofop‐butyl, fenoxaprop‐P‐ethyl, and fluazifop‐P‐butyl) in aqueous samples. The method is based on the combination of ultrasound‐assisted DLLME with in situ ionic liquid (IL) DLLME into one extraction procedure and achieved better performance than widely used DLLME procedures. Chlorobenzene was used as the extraction solvent during the first extraction. Hydrophilic IL 1‐octyl‐3‐methylimidazolium chloride was used as a dispersive solvent during the first extraction and as an extraction solvent during the second extraction after an in situ chloride exchange by bis[(trifluoromethane)sulfonyl]imide. Several experimental parameters affecting the extraction efficiency were studied and optimized with the design of experiments using MINITAB® 16 software. Under the optimized conditions, the extractions resulted in analyte recoveries of 78–91%. The correlation coefficients of the calibration curves ranged from 0.9994 to 0.9997 at concentrations of 10–300, 15–300, and 20–300 μg L^?1. The relative SDs (n = 5) ranged from 2.9 to 5.4%. The LODs for the four herbicides were between 1.50 and 6.12 μg L^?1.     

Ultrasound-assisted dispersive liquid–liquid microextraction and multivariate optimization for determination of Sodium Closantel in biological samples and pharmaceutical formula

A fast and simple ultrasound-assisted dispersive liquid–liquid microextraction method for determination of Sodium Closantel has been developed. High-performance liquid chromatography with ultraviolet detector has been used for the determination of Sodium Closantel. The effect of influencing parameters such as type and volume of extraction and disperser solvents, pH of sample solution, extraction time and amount of salt was also investigated. Optimization of method was performed using Plackett–Burman experimental design and surface response methodology. Under the optimal conditions, the linear dynamic range of Sodium Closantel was from 10 to 3000 µg L^?1 with a correlation coefficient of 0.997 and a detection limit of 1.0 µg L^?1. The relative standard deviation was less than 3.5% (n = 5). The method has been successfully applied for determination of Sodium Closantel in real samples. The enrichment factor was 48 under optimal conditions.     

Determination of Trace Methyl Tert‐Butyl Ether in Water Samples Using Dispersive Liquid‐Liquid Microextraction Coupled with GC‐FID

A rapid and sensitive analytical method has been developed for trace analysis of methyl tert‐butyl ether (MTBE) in water samples using dispersive liquid‐liquid microextraction and gas chromatography with flame ionization detection. Factors relevant to the microextraction efficiency, such as the kind of extraction solvent, the disperser solvent and their volumes, the effect of salt, sample solution temperature and the extraction time were investigated and optimized. Under the optimal conditions the linear dynamic range of MTBE was from 0.2 to 25.0 μg L^?1 with a correlation coefficient of 0.9981 and a detection limit of 0.1 μg L^?1. The relative standard deviation (RSD%) was less than 5.1% (n = 3) and the recovery values were in the range of 97.8 ± 0.9%. Finally, the proposed method was successfully applied for the analysis of MTBE in aqueous samples.     

Optimization of dispersive liquid–liquid microextraction with central composite design for preconcentration of chlordiazepoxide drug and its determination by HPLC‐UV

A simple, rapid, and sensitive method based on dispersive liquid–liquid microextraction combined with HPLC‐UV detection applied for the quantification of chlordiazepoxide in some real samples. The effect of different extraction conditions on the extraction efficiency of the chlordiazepoxide drug was investigated and optimized using central composite design as a conventional efficient tool. Optimum extraction condition values of variables were set as 210 μL chloroform, 1.8 mL methanol, 1.0 min extraction time, 5.0 min centrifugation at 5000 rpm min^?1, neutral pH, 7.0% w/v NaCl. The separation was reached in less than 8.0 min using a C₁₈ column using isocratic binary mobile phase (acetonitrile/water (60:40, v/v)) with flow rate of 1.0 mL min^?1. The linear response (r² > 0.998) was achieved in the range of 0.005–10 μg mL^?1 with detection limit 0.0005 μg mL^?1. The applicability of this method for simultaneous extraction and determination of chlordiazepoxide in four different matrices (water, urine, plasma, and chlordiazepoxide tablet) were investigated using standard addition method. Average recoveries at two spiking levels were over the range of 91.3–102.5% with RSD < 5.0% (n = 3). The obtained results show that dispersive liquid–liquid microextraction combined with HPLC‐UV is a fast and simple method for the determination of chlordiazepoxide in real samples.     

Development of Dispersive Liquid‐Liquid Microextraction Based on Solidification of Floating Organic Drop for the Determination of Trace Cobalt in Water Samples

A liquid‐phase microextraction technique was developed using dispersive liquid‐liquid microextraction based on solidification of floating organic drop combined with flame atomic absorption spectrometry, for the extraction and determination of trace amounts of cobalt in water samples. Microextraction efficiency factors, such as the type and volume of extraction and dispersive solvents, pH, extraction time, the chelating agent amount, and ionic strength were investigated and optimized. Under optimum conditions, an enrichment factor of 160 was obtained from 10.0 mL of water sample. The calibration graph was linearin the range of 1.15‐110 μg L^?1 with a detection limit of 0.35 μg L^?1. The relative standard deviation for ten replicate measurements of 10 and 100 μg L^?1 of cobalt were 3.26% and 2.57%, respectively. The proposed method was assessed through the analysis of certified reference water or recovery experiments.     

Dendrimer‐reinforced sol–gel based hollow fiber solid‐phase microextraction for citalopram determination using response surface methodology

The inclusion of a polyamidoamine dendrimer in a silica sol–gel yielded a solid nanosorbent that was used for the preconcentration, extraction, and determination of citalopram in hospital waste water, hemodialysis solution, and some drinking water. The method was developed by applying a novel nanosorbent for the solid‐phase microextraction of citalopram, containing a silica sol–gel reinforced by polyamidoamine second‐generation dendrimer, which was protected by a polypropylene hollow fiber. Plackett–Burman design and central composite design were utilized to evaluate the significance of several factors on the extraction efficiency. The adsorption mechanism and thermodynamic and kinetic aspects were studied. The adsorption process was exothermic and well fitted to the Bangham equation kinetic model. Under optimal conditions, the presented method was liner in the range of 0.05–100 μg/mL. The limits of detection of quantification of citalopram were 0.0095 and 0.031 μg m/L, respectively.     

Syringe-to-syringe-dispersive liquid–phase microextraction combined with flame atomic absorption spectrometry for pre-concentration and determination of cobalt with the aid of experimental design

A rapid and selective technique has been proposed for the extraction, pre-concentration and determination of trace amounts of cobalt in water and pharmaceutical samples by syringe-to-syringe-dispersive liquid–phase microextraction (SS-DLPME) combined with flame atomic absorption spectrometry (FAAS). In the developed method, 1-nitroso-2-naphthol was used as a selective complexing agent and 1-octanol was selected as the extraction solvent. Factors such as pH of the sample solution, concentration of the complexing agent, volume of the extraction solvent, number of injections and centrifugation time affecting the extraction efficiency were screened using a Plackett–Burman design (PBD) and optimised using a Box–Behnken design (BBD). Under optimum conditions, a dynamic linear range of 2.5–650 μg L^?1 with the coefficient of determination r² = 0.997 was obtained. The resultant limit of detection (LOD) was 0.68 μg L^?1, whereas the enrichment factor (EF), intraday precision and inter-day precision were 281, 1.43% and 1.93%, respectively. This method was used successfully for pre-concentration and determination of the analyte in environmental water and drug samples.     

Novel ultrasonic‐assisted deep eutectic solvent‐based dispersive liquid–liquid microextraction for determination of vanadium in food samples by electrothermal atomic absorption spectrometry: A multivariate study

A green, efficient, simple and sensitive pre‐concentration method has been developed for the determination of vanadium(V) in foodstuffs using deep eutectic solvent–ultrasonic‐assisted dispersive liquid–liquid microextraction. In the developed procedure, the extraction of vanadium(V) was achieved using 2‐hydroxy‐3‐methoxybenzaldehyde thiosemicarbazone as a chelating agent, choline chloride–phenol as extracting solvent and tetrahydrofuran as dispersive solvent. Vanadium(V) concentration was measured using electrothermal atomic absorption spectrometry. Various analytical parameters including pH, type and molar ratio of deep eutectic solvent, ultrasonication time and amount of ligand were studied. A multivariate study was carried out for optimization of the variables. The pre‐concentration factor was calculated as 50. Under optimal conditions, limit of detection, limit of quantification and relative standard deviation were calculated as 0.025 μg l^?1, 0.175 μg l^?1 and 3.4%, respectively. The accuracy of the procedure was confirmed using certified reference materials and standard addition method. The obtained results confirm adequate recoveries for vanadium(V) (>96%). This technique was fruitfully applied for determination of vanadium in foodstuffs.     

Investigation of fragrance stability used in the formulation of cosmetic and hygienic products using headspace solid‐phase microextraction by nanostructured materials followed by gas chromatography with mass spectrometry

A new composite coating of polypyrrole and sodium lauryl ether sulfate was electrochemically prepared on a stainless‐steel wire using cyclic voltammetry. The application and performance of the fiber was evaluated for the headspace solid‐phase microextraction of a fragrance in aqueous bleach samples followed by gas chromatography combined with mass spectrometry to assess the fragrance stability in this kind of household cleaning product. To obtain a stable and efficient composite coating, parameters related to the coating process such as scan rate and numbers of cycles were optimized using a central composite design. In addition, the effects of various parameters on the extraction efficiency of the headspace solid‐phase microextraction process such as extraction temperature and time, ionic strength, sample volume, and stirring rate were investigated by experimental design methods using Plackett–Burman and Doehlert designs. The optimum values of 53°C and 28 min for sample temperature and time, respectively, were found through response surface methodology. Results show that the combination of polypyrrole and sodium lauryl ether sulfate in a composite form presents desirable opportunities to produce new materials to study fragrance stability by headspace solid‐phase microextraction.     

Polymeric ionic liquid modified stainless steel wire as a novel fiber for solid‐phase microextraction

A polymeric ionic liquid modified stainless steel wire for solid‐phase microextraction was reported. Mercaptopropyl‐functionalized stainless steel wire that was formed by co‐condensation of tetramethoxysilane and 3‐mercaptopropyltrimethoxysilane via a sol‐gel process, which is followed by in situ surface radical chain‐transfer polymerization of 1‐vinyl‐3‐octylimidazolium hexafluorophosphate to result in polymeric ionic liquid modified stainless steel wire. The fiber surface was characterized by field emission scanning electron microscope equipped with energy dispersive X‐ray analysis. Coupled with GC, extraction performance of the fiber was tested with phenols and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons as model analytes. Effects of extraction and desorption conditions were investigated systematically in our work. RSDs for single‐fiber repeatability and fiber‐to‐fiber reproducibility were less than 7.34 and 16.82%, respectively. The calibration curves were linear in a wide range for all analytes and the detection limits were in the range of 10–60 ng L^?1. Two real water samples from the Yellow River and local waterworks were applied to test the as‐established solid‐phase microextraction–GC method with the recoveries of samples spiked at 10 μg L^?1 ranged from 83.35 to 119.24%. The fiber not only exhibited excellent extraction efficiency, but also very good rigidity, stability and durability.     

Automated hollow‐fiber liquid‐phase microextraction followed by liquid chromatography with mass spectrometry for the determination of benzodiazepine drugs in biological samples

In this study, two‐phase hollow‐fiber liquid‐phase microextraction and three‐phase hollow‐fiber liquid‐phase microextraction based on two immiscible organic solvents were compared for extraction of oxazepam and Lorazepam. Separations were performed on a liquid chromatography with mass spectrometry instrument. Under optimal conditions, three‐phase hollow‐fiber liquid‐phase microextraction based on two immiscible organic solvents has a better extraction efficiency. In a urine sample, for three‐phase hollow fiber liquid‐phase microextraction based on two immiscible organic solvents, the calibration curves were found to be linear in the range of 0.6–200 and 0.9–200 μg L^?1 and the limits of detection were 0.2 and 0.3 μg L^?1 for oxazepam and lorazepam, respectively. For two‐phase hollow fiber liquid‐phase microextraction, the calibration curves were found to be linear in the range of 1–200 and 1.5–200 μg L^?1 and the limits of detection were 0.3 and 0.5 μg L^?1 for oxazepam and lorazepam, respectively. In a urine sample, for three‐phase hollow‐fiber‐based liquid‐phase microextraction based on two immiscible organic solvents, relative standard deviations in the range of 4.2–4.5% and preconcentration factors in the range of 70–180 were obtained for oxazepam and lorazepam, respectively. Also for the two‐phase hollow‐fiber liquid‐phase microextraction, preconcentration factors in the range of 101–257 were obtained for oxazepam and lorazepam, respectively.     

Comparison of two ultrasound‐enhanced microextractions combined with HPLC for determining acaricides in water

An ultrasound‐enhanced in situ solvent formation microextraction has been developed first time and compared with ultrasound‐enhanced ionic‐liquid‐assisted dispersive liquid–liquid microextraction for the HPLC analysis of acaricides in environmental water samples. A ionic liquid ([C₈MIM][PF₆]) was used as the green extraction solvent through two pathways. The experimental parameters, such as the type and volume of both of the extraction solvent disperser solvent, ultrasonication time, and salt addition, were investigated and optimized. The analytical performance using the optimized conditions proved the feasibility of the developed methods for the quantitation of trace levels of acaricides by obtaining limits of detection that range from 0.54 to 3.68 μg/L. The in situ solvent formation microextraction method possesses more positive characteristics than the ionic‐liquid‐assisted dispersive liquid–liquid microextraction method (except for spirodiclofen determination) when comparing the validation parameters. Both methods were successfully applied to determining acaricides in real water samples.