State of the art of environmentally friendly sample preparation approaches for determination of PBDEs and metabolites in environmental and biological samples: A critical review

Green chemistry principles for developing methodologies have gained attention in analytical chemistry in recent decades. A growing number of analytical techniques have been proposed for determination of organic persistent pollutants in environmental and biological samples. In this light, the current review aims to present state-of-the-art sample preparation approaches based on green analytical principles proposed for the determination of polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) and metabolites (OH-PBDEs and MeO-PBDEs) in environmental and biological samples. Approaches to lower the solvent consumption and accelerate the extraction, such as pressurized liquid extraction, microwave-assisted extraction, and ultrasound-assisted extraction, are discussed in this review. Special attention is paid to miniaturized sample preparation methodologies and strategies proposed to reduce organic solvent consumption. Additionally, extraction techniques based on alternative solvents (surfactants, supercritical fluids, or ionic liquids) are also commented in this work, even though these are scarcely used for determination of PBDEs. In addition to liquid-based extraction techniques, solid-based analytical techniques are also addressed. The development of greener, faster and simpler sample preparation approaches has increased in recent years (2003–2013). Among green extraction techniques, those based on the liquid phase predominate over those based on the solid phase (71% vs. 29%, respectively). For solid samples, solvent assisted extraction techniques are preferred for leaching of PBDEs, and liquid phase microextraction techniques are mostly used for liquid samples. Likewise, green characteristics of the instrumental analysis used after the extraction and clean-up steps are briefly discussed.     

Miniaturized preconcentration methods based on liquid–liquid extraction and their application in inorganic ultratrace analysis and speciation: A review

Liquid–liquid extraction (LLE) is widely used as a pre-treatment technique for separation and preconcentration of both organic and inorganic analytes from aqueous samples. Nevertheless, it has several drawbacks, such as emulsion formation or the use of large volumes of solvents, which makes LLE expensive and labour intensive. Therefore, miniaturization of conventional liquid–liquid extraction is needed. The search for alternatives to the conventional LLE using negligible volumes of extractant and the minimum number of steps has driven the development of three new miniaturized methodologies, i.e. single-drop microextraction (SDME), hollow fibre liquid-phase microextraction (HF-LPME) and dispersive liquid–liquid microextraction (DLLME). The aim of this paper is to provide an overview of these novel preconcentration approaches and their potential use in analytical labs involved in inorganic (ultra)trace analysis and speciation. Relevant applications to the determination of metal ions, metalloids, organometals and non-metals are included.     

Recent Advances in Sample Preparation for Cosmetics and Personal Care Products Analysis

The use of cosmetics and personal care products is increasing worldwide. Their high matrix complexity, together with the wide range of products currently marketed under different forms imply a challenge for their analysis, most of them requiring a sample pre-treatment step before analysis. Classical sample preparation methodologies involve large amounts of organic solvents as well as multiple steps resulting in large time consumption. Therefore, in recent years, the trends have been moved towards the development of simple, sustainable, and environmentally friendly methodologies in two ways: (i) the miniaturization of conventional procedures allowing a reduction in the consumption of solvents and reagents; and (ii) the development and application of sorbent- and liquid-based microextraction technologies to obtain a high analyte enrichment, avoiding or significantly reducing the use of organic solvents. This review provides an overview of analytical methodology during the last ten years, placing special emphasis on sample preparation to analyse cosmetics and personal care products. The use of liquid–liquid and solid–liquid extraction (LLE, SLE), ultrasound-assisted extraction (UAE), solid-phase extraction (SPE), pressurized liquid extraction (PLE), matrix solid-phase extraction (MSPD), and liquid- and sorbent-based microextraction techniques will be reviewed. The most recent advances and future trends including the development of new materials and green solvents will be also addressed.     

Development of an extraction method for the determination of zearalenone in corn using less organic solvents

A method for the determination of zearalenone in corn has been developed applying pressurised liquid extraction (PLE) and using environmentally acceptable and less noxious organic solvents. The extracted samples were analysed with liquid chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry (LC-MS) equipped with an electrospray (ESI) ionisation interface. The optimised extraction mixture was isopropanol and an aqueous solution of triethylamine (1%) 50:50 (v/v), which allowed to halve the use of organic solvent compared to the method proposed by ISO. When applying the optimised method to five different naturally contaminated corn samples the obtained concentrations were slightly increased compared to the analysis using the previously used extraction solvent (acetonitrile-methanol). The relative standard deviation (RSD, n = 3) varied between 4 and 10% depending on the concentration level of the target analyte in the test material.     

Coupling superheated water extraction with enzyme immunoassay for an efficient and fast PAH screening in soil

The coupling of an enzyme immunoassay with a superheated water extraction is an attractive technique because of the reduced use of hazardous solvents, due to their hostile impact on the environment. This paper describes the use of superheated water extraction and enzyme immunoassay (EIA) for the determination of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in native (not spiked) surface soil and sediment samples. The extraction recoveries with superheated water were comparable to those achieved with conventional Soxhlet techniques. The benefits of superheated water extraction-EIA includes replacement of harmful organic solvents used in extraction, fast extractions (15-30 min.) with an inexpensive extractant, reduced number of steps in the determination of the target compounds, and the application of sensitive and relatively inexpensive assays. Further advantages of the superheated water extraction are higher extraction efficiencies compared with the methanol based extraction kits associated with the EIA and direct measurement of the extracts with EIA. Both techniques can be used as efficient screening methods in the field since the type of equipment used in superheated water extraction and EIA can be loaded into a van and operated on a car battery or a small generator.     

Extractions with superheated water

As the temperature of liquid water is raised under pressure, between 100 and 374 degrees C, the polarity decreases markedly and it can be used as an extraction solvent for a wide range of analytes. Most interest has been in its application for the determination of PAHs, PCBs, and pesticides from environmental samples, where it gives comparable results to Soxhlet extraction but more rapidly and without the use of significant volumes of organic solvents. Unlike SPE, n-alkanes are not extracted unless the pressure is reduced and steam is used. Other applications have included the extraction of essential oils from plant material where it preferentially extracts the economically more important oxygenated components compared to steam distillation. The aqueous extract has been concentrated in a number of different methods (solvent extraction, SPE, SPME, extraction disc) or the extraction can be linked on-line to LC or GC. In many cases the superheated water extraction is cleaner, faster and cheaper than the conventional extraction methods.     

Deep eutectic solvents for the purification of chloromycetin and thiamphenicol from milk

Deep eutectic solvents were used in both dispersive liquid–liquid microextraction and solid‐phase extraction for the purification of chloromycetin and thiamphenicol from milk. In the dispersive liquid–liquid microextraction procedure, deep eutectic solvents mixed with chloroform at different ratios (0:1–5:1, v/v) were used as the extraction agent to optimize the procedure, and the ratio of 2:1 v/v was found to be the best extraction agent with 87.23 and 83.17% recoveries of chloromycetin and thiamphenicol, respectively. Furthermore, deep eutectic solvents were also used to modify molecular imprinted polymers in solid‐phase extraction procedure, and the polymers were used to purify chloromycetin and thiamphenicol from milk. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, and nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy were used to characterize the polymers. The solid‐phase extraction recoveries with deep eutectic solvents with molecularly imprinted polymers (chloromycetin and thiamphenicol, two templates), molecularly imprinted polymers (without deep eutectic solvents), and nonimprinted polymers (without a template) for chloromycetin were 91.23, 82.64, and 57.3%, respectively, and recoveries for thiamphenicol were 87.02, 79.03, and 52.27%, respectively. The recoveries of chloromycetin and thiamphenicol from milk in the solid‐phase extraction procedure were higher than using deep eutectic solvents mixed with chloroform as the extraction agent in the dispersive liquid–liquid microextraction procedure.     

A Rapid Sample Preparation Method of Adriamycin from Plasma for HPLC Analysis

A rapid and comprehensive sample preparation method used to extract adriamycin from plasma has been investigated. The samples were passed through an Adsorbex extraction column with an elution solvent. The eluate was directly analyzed by reversed-phase high performance liguid chromatography (HPLC) with fluorescence detector. This solid/liquid extraction method is simpler than the conventional liquid/liquid extraction method. Different elution solvents were used to extract the adriamycin from samples with and without serum. The mobile phase was found to be the optimal elution solvent: 5 mM orthophosphoric acid 62.5% in methanol; acetonitrile; isopropanol = 15:15:7.5, pH 3.2. This method has the merits of better recovery (98%), higher reproducibility, and reguires shorter time and consumes less solvent.     

Analytical methods for the assessment of endocrine disrupting chemical exposure during human fetal and lactation stages: A review

In the present work, a review of the analytical methods developed in the last 15 years for the determination of endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) in human samples related with children, including placenta, cord blood, amniotic fluid, maternal blood, maternal urine and breast milk, is proposed. Children are highly vulnerable to toxic chemicals in the environment. Among these environmental contaminants to which children are at risk of exposure are EDCs —substances able to alter the normal hormone function of wildlife and humans—. The work focuses mainly on sample preparation and instrumental techniques used for the detection and quantification of the analytes. The sample preparation techniques include, not only liquid–liquid extraction (LLE) and solid-phase extraction (SPE), but also modern microextraction techniques such as extraction with molecular imprinted polymers (MIPs), stir-bar sorptive extraction (SBSE), hollow-fiber liquid-phase microextraction (HF-LPME), dispersive liquid–liquid microextraction (DLLME), matrix solid phase dispersion (MSPD) or ultrasound-assisted extraction (UAE), which are becoming alternatives in the analysis of human samples. Most studies focus on minimizing the number of steps and using the lowest solvent amounts in the sample treatment. The usual instrumental techniques employed include liquid chromatography (LC), gas chromatography (GC) mainly coupled to tandem mass spectrometry. Multiresidue methods are being developed for the determination of several families of EDCs with one extraction step and limited sample preparation.     

Further development of a robust workup process for solution-phase high-throughput library synthesis to address environmental and sample tracking issues

During further improvement of a high-throughput, solution-phase synthesis system, new workup tools and apparatus for parallel liquid-liquid extraction and evaporation have been developed. A combination of in-house design and collaboration with external manufacturers has been used to address (1) environmental issues concerning solvent emissions and (2) sample tracking errors arising from manual intervention. A parallel liquid-liquid extraction unit, containing miniature high-speed magnetic stirrers for efficient mixing of organic and aqueous phases, has been developed for use on a multichannel liquid handler. Separation of the phases is achieved by dispensing them into a newly patented filter tube containing a vertical hydrophobic porous membrane, which allows only the organic phase to pass into collection vials positioned below. The vertical positioning of the membrane overcomes the hitherto dependence on the use of heavier-than-water, bottom-phase, organic solvents such as dichloromethane, which are restricted due to environmental concerns. Both small (6-mL) and large (60-mL) filter tubes were developed for parallel phase separation in library and template synthesis, respectively. In addition, an apparatus for parallel solvent evaporation was developed to (1) remove solvent from the above samples with highly efficient recovery and (2) avoid the movement of individual samples between their collection on a liquid handler and registration to prevent sample identification errors. The apparatus uses a diaphragm pump to achieve a dynamic circulating closed system with a heating block for the rack of 96 sample vials and an efficient condenser to trap the solvents. Solvent recovery is typically >98%, and convenient operation and monitoring has made the apparatus the first choice for removal of volatile solvents.     

Deep eutectic solvent-based modified quick,easy, cheap,effective, rugged,and safe extraction combined with solidification of floating organic droplet-dispersive liquid–liquid microextraction of some pesticides from canola oil followed by gas chromatography analysis

Herein, a modified quick, easy, cheap, effective, rugged, and safe extraction was developed based on deep eutectic solvent for the extraction of several pesticides from canola oil samples. In this work, first, different sorbents were selected to remove the sample interferences, and the composition of the sorbents was optimized by simplex centroid design. The extracted analytes were more concentrated by solidification of floating deep eutectic solvent droplet-dispersive liquid–liquid microextraction. Low limits of detection (0.15–0.23 ng/g) and quantification (0.49–0.76 ng/g), high extraction recoveries (74–87%) and enrichment factors (224–263), and good repeatability (relative standard deviation equal to or less than 5.1 and 4.7% for intra- and interday precisions, respectively) were achieved using the proposed method. The suggested approach was used for the quantification of the analytes in different canola oil samples. Additionally, the effects of microwave irradiations exposure and sonication in decontamination of the samples were evaluated. In this method, there was no need for centrifugation and toxic solvents. Also, effective extraction of the analytes and minimizing interferences were achieved through the use of various sorbents.     

Miniaturized ternary deep eutectic solvent-based matrix solid-phase dispersion: A green sample preparation method for the determination of chlorophenols in river sediment

New ternary deep eutectic solvents were prepared and applied as efficient green dispersing solvents in miniaturized matrix solid-phase dispersion to extract chlorophenols from river sediments for the first time. High-performance liquid chromatography coupled with a photodiode array detector was used to analyze the target analytes. The significant factors affecting the extraction were optimized as follows: dispersant (100 mg), sample (100 mg), ternary eutectic solvents (150 μl), grinding for 1 min, 450 μl of acetonitrile as the elution solvent, and vortex mixing for 20 s. Under the optimal conditions, the method exhibited excellent linearity (correlation coefficient > 0.9980), low limits of detection between 1.039–2.478 μg/g, and extraction recoveries between 93.9% and 99.2%. Furthermore, the method demonstrated excellent precision in the intra- and inter-day analysis with a relative standard deviation below 6%. When compared to conventional extraction techniques, the miniaturized matrix solid-phase dispersion considerably reduced samples and solvent usag, offering important environmental benefits. The green profile of the method was assessed using the complementary green analytical procedure index tool confirming its eco-friendship. The technique was finally employed to evaluate sediment samples from three distinct locations along the Zuibaiji River, indicating its applicability for monitoring environmental samples.     

Effect of sample pre-treatment on the determination of steroid esters in hair of bovine calves

The effect of three sample pre-treatment steps, washing, cutting and grinding on the determination of steroid esters in hair is studied. The study is performed by using hair samples obtained after pour-on application of steroid esters to bovine calves. After sample pre-treatment the hair is treated with a mild reducing agent [tris(2-carboxyethyl)phosphine hydrochloride] to extract the steroid esters. After a solid-phase extraction clean-up step the extracts are analysed by using liquid chromatography combined with triple–quadrupole mass spectrometric detection. For the washing step the use of non-organic washing solvents like (warm) water and a solution of 0.1% sodium dodecyl phosphate and organic solutions containing different percentages of methanol are tested. By using the non-organic solvents and the organic solvents with a percentage of methanol <20% the recovery results are as good as the results obtained without washing the hair. Cutting the hair samples increases the analyte recoveries of incurred steroid esters by 20% compared to the non-cut hair. The analyte recoveries of cut hair samples are about 60–80% that of ground hair samples. The obtained surface expansion of hair samples by grinding proves to be necessary in order to achieve the highest possible analyte yields. Finally the use of pressurised liquid extraction (PLE) for the extraction of steroid esters from plain (no washing, cutting or grinding) hair is investigated. The first results show lower (up to 40%) extraction recoveries in comparison with the classical solvent extraction procedures. If the limit of detection requirement is met, PLE may be an alternative for extracting large numbers of hair samples due to the short sample treatment procedure involved.     

Chemical composition of mate tea leaves (Ilex paraguariensis): a study of extraction methods

The objective of this work was to investigate the extraction of Ilex paraguariensis leaves by means of three extraction techniques: pressurized liquid extraction (PLE, also called accelerated solvent extraction – ASE), maceration, and sonication. Samples of mate tea leaves were collected from an experiment conducted under agronomic control at Indústria e Comércio de Erva‐Mate Bar?o LTDA, Brazil. Six solvents with increasing polarities (n‐hexane, toluene, dichloromethane, ethyl acetate, acetone, and methanol) were used in this investigation. Chemical analysis of the extracts was performed by GC coupled with a mass spectrometer detector. The identification and quantification were accomplished by coinjections of certified standards. The results showed that no significant differences in the qualities of the extracts were noticed regarding the extraction methods. On the other hand, the PLE technique was found to be more effective for the extractions of caffeine, phytol, palmitic, and stearic acid. The use of PLE led to a significant decrease in the total extraction time, amount of solvent consumption, and manipulation of samples compared to maceration and ultrasound‐assisted extraction methods.     

Automated sample preparation by pressurized liquid extraction-solid-phase extraction for the liquid chromatographic-mass spectrometric investigation of polyphenols in the brewing process

The analysis of polyphenols from solid plant or food samples usually requires laborious sample preparation. The liquid extraction of these compounds from the sample is compromised by apolar matrix interferences, an excess of which has to be eliminated prior to subsequent purification and separation. Applying pressurized liquid extraction to the extraction of polyphenols from hops, the use of different solvents sequentially can partly overcome these problems. Initial extraction with pentane eliminates hydrophobic compounds like hop resins and oils and enables the straightforward automated on-line solid-phase extraction as part of an optimized LC-MS analysis.     

Application of new approaches to liquid-phase microextraction for the determination of emerging pollutants

Liquid-liquid extraction (LLE) has been widely used as a pre-treatment technique for separation and preconcentration of organic analytes from aqueous samples. Nevertheless, this technique has several drawbacks, mainly in the use of large volumes of solvents, making LLE an expensive, environmentally-unfriendly technique.Miniaturized methodologies [e.g., liquid-phase microextraction (LPME)] have arisen in the search for alternatives to conventional LLE, using negligible volumes of extracting solvents and reducing the number of steps in the procedure. Developments have led to different approaches to LPME, namely single-drop microextraction (SDME), hollow-fiber LPME (HF-LPME), dispersive liquid-liquid microextraction (DLLME) and solidified floating organic drop microextraction (SFODME).This overview focuses on the application of these microextraction techniques to the analysis of emerging pollutants.     

Selected uses of enzymes with critical fluids in analytical chemistry

The use of enzymes coupled with supercritical fluid (SF)-based analytical techniques, such as supercritical fluid extraction (SFE), provides a safer environment platform for the analytical chemist and reduces the use of organic solvents. Incorporation of such techniques not only reduces the use of solvent in analytical laboratories, but it can also lead to overall method simplification and time savings. In this review, some of the fundamental aspects of using enzymes in the presence of SF media are discussed, particularly the influence of extraction (reaction) pressure, temperature, and water content of the extracting fluid and/or the sample matrix. Screening of optimal conditions for conducting reactions in the presence of SF media can be readily accomplished with automated serial or parallel SFE instrumentation, including selection of the proper enzyme. Numerous examples are cited, many based on lipase-initiated conversions of lipid substrates, to form useful analytical derivatives for gas chromatography, liquid chromatography, or SF chromatography analysis. In certain cases, enzymatic-aided processing of samples can permit the coupling of the extraction, sample preparation, and final analysis steps. The derived methods/techniques find application in nutritional food analyses, assays of industrial products, and micro analyses of specific samples.     

The recent developments in dispersive liquid–liquid microextraction for preconcentration and determination of inorganic analytes

Recently, increasing interest on the use of dispersive liquid–liquid microextraction (DLLME) developed in 2006 by Rezaee has been found in the field of separation science. DLLME is miniaturized format of liquid–liquid extraction in which acceptor-to-donor phase ratio is greatly reduced compared with other methods. In the present review, the combination of DLLME with different analytical techniques such as atomic absorption spectrometry (AAS), inductively coupled plasma-optical emission spectrometry (ICP-OES), gas chromatography (GC), and high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) for preconcentration and determination of inorganic analytes in different types of samples will be discussed. Recent developments in DLLME, e.g., displacement-DLLME, the use of an auxiliary solvent for adjustment of density of extraction mixture, and the application of ionic liquid-based DLLME in determination of inorganic species even in the presence of high content of salts are presented in the present review. Finally, comparison of DLLME with the other liquid-phase microextraction approaches and limitations of this technique are provided.     

Automated sample preparation-fractionation for the measurement of dioxins and related compounds in biological matrices: a review

This article reviews some of the recent developments in the extraction and clean-up areas of biological samples dedicated to dioxin and related compound analysis. A brief introduction on the major dioxin contamination events, which have occurred in the food chain, is given to illustrate the need of fast high throughput methods in case of crises. The emphasis of this paper is the method development based upon reliable instrumental extraction techniques for rapid sample processing and automation such as; supercritical fluid extraction (SFE), microwave-assisted extraction (MAE), pressurized liquid extraction (PLE) and, solid-phase extraction (SPE). The PLE and SPE are also discussed in conjunction with the use of a multi-column automated clean-up system that can accommodate up to 5 g of extracted lipids. The fractionation in sub-groups of analytes during the clean-up process allows the isolation of various types of toxicants from a single sample and illustrates the versatility of the system. An integrated extraction and clean-up instrument is finally presented in terms of feasibility and attainable sample turnover for the parallel processing of liquid and solid biological samples.     

Recent development in liquid phase microextraction for determination of trace level concentration of metals—A review

As the drive towards green extraction methods has gained momentum in recent years, it has not always been possible to eliminate organic solvents completely. However, the volumes employed have been reduced remarkably, so that a single microdrop is sufficient in some cases. This effort has led to the development of various liquid phase microextractions namely single drop microextraction (SDME), hollow fiber liquid phase microextraction (HF-LPME), dispersive liquid-liquid microextraction (DLLME) and solidified floating organic drop microextraction (SFODME). In this review, the historical development and overview of these miniaturized liquid phase extraction methodologies have briefly been discussed and a comprehensive collection of application of the these methods in combination with different analytical techniques for preconcentration and determination of ultra trace amounts of metals and organometal ions in various matrices have been summarized.