Preconcentration and fluorimetric determination of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons based on the acid-induced cloud-point extraction with sodium dodecylsulfate

The acid-induced cloud-point extraction (CPE) technique based on sodium dodecylsulfate (SDS) micelles has been used for preconcentration of ten representatives of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) for the following fluorescence determination. The effect of the acidity of solution, SDS and electrolyte concentrations, centrifugation time and rate on the two-phase separation process and extraction percentages of PAHs have systematically been examined. Extraction percentages have been obtained for all PAHs after CPE ranged from 67 to 93%. Pyrene was used as a fluorescent probe to monitor the micropolarity of the surfactant-rich phase compared with SDS micelles and this allows one to conclude that water content in micellar phase after CPE is reduced. The spectral, metrological and analytical characteristics of PAH fluorimetric determination after acid-based CPE with sodium dodecylsulfate are presented. Advantages provided by using CPE in combination with fluorimetric determination of PAHs are discussed. The determination of benz[a]pyrene in tap water is presented as an example.     

A new cloud-point preconcentration approach for the spectrophotometric determination of p-aminophenol in the presence of paracetamol with 2-(2-Hydroxyphenyl)-1H-benzimidazole as a coupling reagent

A preconcentration and determination method for trace p-aminophenol (PAP) in paracetamol was developed. Cloud-point extraction (CPE) was employed for the preconcentration of p-aminophenol prior to spectrophotometric determination using Triton X-100 (TX-100) as an extractant. The determination is based on the reaction of p-aminophenol with 2-(2-hydroxyphenyl)-1H-benzimidazole (HPBI) at room temperature in the presence of an oxidant to produce indophenol blue dye. The dye formed is subsequently entrapped in micelles of the surfactant TX-100. The surfactant-rich phase shows maximum absorbance at 650 nm and the proposed method is linear in the 0.1 to 5.0 mg mL⁻¹ concentration range. By preconcentrating 10 mL of the sample solution, a detection limit as low as 55 ng/mL was obtained after a single-step extraction and the experimental concentration factor achieved for this method was found to be 10. The stoichiometric composition of the dye is 1: 1 (PAP: HPBI). Some parameters such as HPBI, KIO₄, Na₂CO₃, and TX-100 concentration, extraction temperature, incubation, and centrifugation time, and the sample volume were investigated in detail. The established procedure was successfully adopted for the determination of p-aminophenol in the presence of paracetamol in various pharmaceutical preparations. The text was submitted by the authors in English.     

Solubilisation and binding characteristics of a recombinant beta2-adrenergic receptor expressed in the membrane of Escherichia coli for the multianalyte detection of beta-agonists and antagonists residues in food-producing animals

The on-line incorporation of cloud point extraction (CPE) to flow injection analysis (FIA) was previously based on the use of a cotton-packed column to entrap the analyte-containing surfactant aggregates after salt-induced CPE, and then the preconcentrated analyte was eluted into a separate detection cell for subsequent chemiluminescence (CL) detection (via the peroxyoxalate CL reaction). In the work, the on-line CPE/FIA technique was improved by the following: (1) sample preconcentration and CL detection were both carried out directly inside the collection column, thus avoiding the decrease in detection sensitivity due to sample dispersion and dilution, and (2) CL detection was performed through the reaction between nitrite and hydrogen peroxide, which is compatible with aqueous samples and should allow for chemical excitation to occur more efficiently inside the collection column. In addition to more effective sample preconcentration, the CL detection of the entrapped analytes directly inside the collection column, i.e., a unique heterogeneous microenvironment in which analyte-containing surfactant aggregates were embedded within the densely packed filtering material, may also contribute to the overall increase in CL intensity (e.g., a CL enhancement factor of ca. 1000). Under optimum experimental conditions, the calibration curve was found to be linear for the CL detection of bilirubin (5 to 120 μg L⁻¹), the limit of detection (S/N = 3) was 1.8 μg L⁻¹, and the R.S.D. was ca. 2.6% (n = 30) for 20 μg L⁻¹ bilirubin. Good agreements were obtained for the determination of total bilirubin in certified reference human serum samples between the present approach and an established clinical method.     

Equilibrium partition of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in a cloud-point extraction process

A cloud-point extraction (CPE) process using the nonionic surfactant Tergitol 15-S-7, a secondary ethoxylated alcohol, to extract selected polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) from aqueous solutions is investigated. The CPE process is facilitated at the ambient temperature, ca. 22 degrees C, by the reduction of the cloud-point temperature of the surfactant solution by addition of sodium sulfate. It is observed that the preconcentration factor could be enhanced either by increasing the salt concentration or by decreasing the initial surfactant concentration in the micellar solution. A high preconcentration factor of about 40 was achieved at 1 wt% surfactant concentration with the addition of 0.6 M Na(2)SO(4). It is also noted that the equilibrium partition coefficients of the model PAHs are nearly independent of surfactant concentrations, up to 3 wt%, in this study. Correlations between the equilibrium partition coefficients K(p) of the PAHs and their octanol-water partition coefficients K(ow), as well as K(p) and the molar volume V(x) of these PAHs, indicate that the partition processes of the PAHs in the CPE processes are mainly governed by their hydrophobic affinities to the surfactant aggregates. Furthermore, the effect of added Na(2)SO(4) on the equilibrium partition coefficients is also studied. It is shown that addition of more Na(2)SO(4) to the surfactant solution gives more partition of the PAHs into the surfactant-rich phase.     

浊点萃取技术及其在有机化合物分离分析中的应用

浊点萃取是基于表面活性剂水溶液中相分离现象的萃取浓缩技术,已成功实现了与HPLC、CE和FI等分析仪器的联用,用于各种金属离子、生物分子和不同极性有机化合物浓缩分离处理,是一种替代有机溶剂萃取的良好形式。本文简要介绍了浊点萃取技术的原理和流程,详细总结了在有机化合物分离分析中的应用以及与不同分析仪器联用时遇到的问题和处理方法。     

Determination of synthetic phenolic antioxidants in essence perfume by high performance liquid chromatography with vortex-assisted,cloud-point extraction using AEO-9

This study aimed to establish a rapid analytical method to determine antioxidants in essence. A simple,efficient and practical, vortex-assisted, cloud-point extraction(VACPE) procedure is proposed for extracting and pre-concentrating four different of synthetic phenolic antioxidants(SPAs), propyl gallate(PG), tert-butylhydroquinone(TBHQ), butylated hydroxyanisole(BHA), butylated hydroxytoluene(BHT) in essence prior to high performance liquid chromatography(HPLC) analysis. The non-ionic surfactant, fatty alcohol polyoxyethylene ether-9(AEO-9), was used as extractant and vortex-mixing was utilized to reduce extraction time and improve extraction efficiency. The effective parameters of the extraction process, such as volume of extraction solvent, pH, vortex-mixing time, equilibration temperature and time, were optimized. Under the optimum conditions, the linear range of PG, TBHQ,BHA and BHT was 8.0–800 ng/mL. All correlation coefficients of the calibration curves were higher than0.996 and relative standard deviations(RSD, n = 5) were 2.36%–5.46%. The proposed method was successfully applied to the extraction and determination of antioxidants in essence samples with satisfactory relative recoveries of 89.4%–103.5%. The results confirmed the SPAs of essence could be effectively monitored by this method and also established good reference criteria for essence.     

Role of different salts on cloud-point extraction of isoprocarb and promecarb insecticides followed by high-performance liquid chromatography

The influence of salt additive on cloud point extraction (CPE) of isoprocarb and promecarb insecticides is described. Types of salt (Na(2)CO(3), CaCl(2), MgSO(4), Na(2)SO(4), NaHCO(3) and NaCl) and concentrations were studied. The extracted target compounds were analyzed using reversed phase high-performance liquid chromatography. Among the salts studied, Na(2)CO(3) was found to be the most effective salt for salting out of both insecticides, resulting in high extraction efficiency (>95%) and high enrichment factor of up to 18 compared to extraction without preconcentration. The optimum CPE conditions were 1.5% (w/v) Triton X-114, 3.0% (w/v) Na(2)CO(3), and 20-min equilibration at 45°C. Under the selected conditions, the linear range of 0.05 to 3.0 mg/L was found for both analytes. The limits of detection for isoprocarb and promecarb were 10 and 20 μg/L, respectively. High intra-day (n = 9) and inter-day (n = 3 × 4 days) precisions with relative standard deviations <1% and <8% were obtained for retention time and peak area, respectively. The proposed method was successfully applied for the residue analysis of target compounds in beverages (i.e., fruit juice, vegetable juice and wine samples), which provided high recoveries (>80%, on average) for spiked samples at three levels (0.05, 0.10 and 0.50 mg/L).     

Cloud-point extraction/preconcentration on-line flow injection method for mercury determination

A cloud-point extraction/preconcentration (CPE/P) step is incorporated on-line into a flow injection system which is used to determine low levels of Hg(II) added to natural water samples. The analyte is complexed with dithizone. A solid reagent column (SRC) is used to prepare the reagent on-line by using 5% (v/v) Triton X-100 solution as solvent. The CPE/P is carried out by using the non-ionic surfactant Triton X-100. After obtaining the cloud-point on-line, the surfactant-rich phase containing the complex is collected in a mini column packed with cotton wool. Then, a hot water stream is passed through the column to elute the complex and the absorbance is measured at 500 nm.All the flow and chemical variables are optimized and the enhancement factor for the system is estimated. The calibration is linear over the range 0.05-0.5 μg ml⁻¹, the R.S.D. is 4.8%, the limit of detection (signal:noise = 3) is 0.014 μg ml⁻¹ and the sample throughput is 30 h⁻¹. An open/closed system is used to eliminate the interference of iron(III).     

Determination of polybrominated diphenyl ethers in milk samples. Development of green extraction coupled techniques for sample preparation

Ultrasound‐assisted extraction (UAE), cloud point extraction (CPE), and ultrasound back‐extraction (UABE) techniques have been coupled for lixiviation, preconcentration, and cleanup of polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) from milk samples for determination by gas chromatography‐electron capture detection (GC‐ECD). Physicochemical parameters that affect the efficiency of the extraction system were investigated using a design of experiments based on multivariate statistical tools, and considering the sample matrix along the development. The coupling of the leaching step, UAE, enhanced ca. 3.5 times the extraction efficiency of the former sample preparation methodology (CPE‐UABE) leading to cleaner sample extracts suitable for GC analysis. Under optimum conditions, the proposed methodology exhibits successful performance in terms of linearity and precision, with recoveries in the range of 68–70% and LODs within the range 0.05–0.5 ng/g dry weight (d.w.). The proposed sample preparation methodology coupled three green analytical techniques. It expands the application frontiers of CPE for the analysis of biological samples by GC. The optimized methodology was used for determination of PBDEs in powder milk samples, from both commercial and human sources.     

Cloud-point extraction and reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography for the determination of carbamate insecticide residues in fruits

A cloud-point extraction (CPE) method using Triton X-114 non-ionic surfactant was developed for the extraction and preconcentration of carbamate insecticide residues (i.e., methomyl, propoxur, carbofuran, carbaryl, isoprocarb, and promecarb) in fruit samples. The optimum conditions of CPE were 1.5% (w/v) Triton X-114, 7.0% (w/v) NaCl and 20 min equilibrated at 45 °C. The surfactant-rich phase was then analyzed by reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography with ultraviolet detection at 270 nm, under gradient separation using methanol and 0.1% (v/v) acetic acid. Under the study conditions, six carbamate insecticides were successfully separated within 27 min. Good reproducibility was obtained with the relative standard deviation of <3% for retention time and <9% for peak area. Limits of detection in the studied fruit samples were in the range of 0.1–1.0 mg kg⁻¹. No carbamate insecticides were detected in the studied fruit samples. The high recoveries of the spiked fruit samples were obtained in the range 80.0–107%. The CPE method has been shown to be a potential useful methodology for the preconcentration of the target analytes, with a preconcentration factor of 14. Moreover, the method is simple, has high sensitivity, consumes much less solvent than traditional methods, and is environmental friendly.     

Separation and preconcentration of persistent organic pollutants by cloud point extraction

Persistent organic pollutants (POPs) are recognized as a class of poisonous compounds which pose risks of causing adverse effects to human health and the environment. Thus, it is very important to detect POPs in environmental and biological samples. The identification and determination of very low levels of POPs in complex matrices is extremely difficult. Recently a promising environmentally benign extraction and preconcentration methodology based on cloud point extraction (CPE) has emerged as an efficient sample pretreatment technique for the determination of trace/ultra-trace POPs in complex matrices. The purpose of this paper is to review the past and latest use of CPE for preconcentrating POPs and its coupling to different contemporary instrumental methods of analysis. First, the comparison of various extraction techniques for POPs is described. Next, the general concept, influence factors and other methods associated with CPE technique are outlined and described. Last, the hyphenations of CPE to various instrumental methods for their determination are summarized and discussed.     

Determination of trace vanadium in sea cucumbers by ultrasound-assisted cloud point extraction and graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometry

An ultrasound-assisted cloud point extraction (CPE) procedure was used for preconcentration and determination of vanadium by graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometry. The vanadyl(IV) complex with ascorbic acid form a hydrophobic complex with 4-(2-pyridylazo) resorcinol (PAR) in a micelle medium, which is stable under our working conditions, and followed by its extraction into Triton X-100 surfactant-rich phase. The main factors affecting CPE efficiency, such as pH, concentrations of PAR, ascorbic acid and Triton X-100, incubation temperature, frequency and equilibration time of ultrasonic bath were investigated in detail. Under the optimum conditions, preconcentration of 10 mL sample gave a preconcentration factor of 36.4 and a detection limit of 4.0 µg kg^?1. The proposed method was successfully applied to determination of vanadium in sea cucumbers with satisfactory results.     

Molecularly imprinted on-line solid-phase extraction combined with chemiluminescence for the determination of pazufloxacin mesilate

A novel molecularly imprinted polymer solid-phase extraction (MISPE) with flow-injection chemiluminescence (CL) was developed for the determination of pazufloxacin mesilate (PZFX). The molecularly imprinted polymer (MIP) was synthesized by using PZFX as the imprinting molecule. A glass tube packed the particles of the MIP was employed as MISPE micro-column, which was connected into the sampling loop of the eight-way injection valve for on-line selective preconcentration and extraction of PZFX. The eluent of acetonitrile:acetic acid (9:1, v:v) was used as carrier for eluting the adsorbed PZFX to react with the mixture of cerium(IV) and sodium sulfite in the flow cell to produce strong CL. The relative intensity of CL was linear to PZFX concentration in the range from 2.5 × 10⁻⁹ to 2.5 × 10⁻⁷ g mL⁻¹. The limit of detection was 7 × 10⁻¹⁰ g mL⁻¹ (3 σ) and the relative standard deviation for 5 × 10⁻⁸ g mL⁻¹of PZFX solution was 3.7% (n = 7). This method has been applied to the determination of PZFX in human urine.     

Preconcentration procedure for determining trace amounts of Ni,Cd, Pb and Cu in high-salinity waters after cloud-point extraction

A procedure for determination of Cd, Pb, Cu and Ni in high-salinity waters by inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry has been developed. It is based on cloud-point extraction of these metals as complexes of diethyldithiocarbamate (NaDDTC) in micellar media of non ionic surfactant octylphenoxypolyethoxyethanol (Triton X-114). Multivariate optimisation techniques have been applied to optimise the experimental variables. A full two-level factorial design was used to evaluate the influence of variables and Doehlert design was performed to find the optimum values. The effect of interference from residual salinity in surfactant-rich phase was also investigated. The developed procedure allows to achieve enhancement factors of 20.0, 20.4, 19.5 and 20.6, along with limits of detection (3σ _B) of 0.030, 2.1, 0.62 and 0.27 µg L^?1, and precision expressed as relative standard deviation (%RSD, n = 10) of 3.7 (40.0 µg L^?1), 5.7 (20.0 µg L^?1), 6.6 (20.0 µg L^?1) and 3.1% (10.0 µg L^?1) for Cd, Pb, Cu and Ni, respectively. The accuracy was evaluated by spike tests on the seawater (salinity of 35‰) and petroleum produced formation waters (salinity between 15‰ and 75‰). It was obtained by recoveries between 79% and 105%.     

On-line liquid-liquid extraction system using a new phase separator for flame atomic absorption spectrometric determination of ultra-trace cadmium in natural waters

A robust flow injection (FI) on-line liquid-liquid extraction (LLE) preconcentration/separation system associated with a newly designed gravitational phase separator, coupled to flame atomic absorption spectrometry (FAAS) was developed. The performance of the system was illustrated for cadmium determination at the μg l⁻¹ level. The non-charged cadmium complex with ammonium pyrrolidine dithiocarbamate (APDC) was extracted on-line into isobutyl methyl ketone (IBMK). The organic phase was effectively separated from a large volume of aqueous phase and is led into a 100 μl loop of an injection valve before its introduction into the nebulizer. The system was optimized and offered good performance characteristics with unlimited life time of phase separator, greater flow rate ratios and improved flexibility, as compared with other solvent extraction preconcentration systems. With a sampling frequency of 33 h⁻¹, the enhancement factor was 155, the detection limit was 0.02 μg l⁻¹, the relative standard deviation was 3.2% at 2.0 μg l⁻¹ Cd concentration level and the calibration curve was linear over the concentration range 0.06-6.0 μg l⁻¹. The accuracy of the proposed method was evaluated by analyzing a certified reference material of water and by recovery measurements on spiked samples. Finally, it was successfully applied to the analysis of tapwater, river and seawater samples.     

Acid-induced cloud-point extraction coupled to spectrophotometry for the determination of carbaryl residues in waters and vegetables

A simple and rapid spectrophotometry for the determination of carbaryl based on acid-induced anionic surfactant micelle-mediated extraction (acid-induced cloud-point extraction) coupled to derivatization with 2-naphthylamine-1-sulfonic acid (ANSA) reagent has been demonstrated. Sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) and concentrated HCl were used as extractants at room temperature. ANSA derivatization was directly reacted with carbaryl without alkali hydrolysis. The optimum conditions for both acid-induced extraction and derivatization were investigated. The proposed method shows good analytical features with low detection limit (50 µg L^− 1) as well as linearity covered a wide range up to 7.0 mg L^− 1, good precision with the relative standard deviation of 2.3% (n = 10), and high recoveries in the samples (> 85%). The high risks of carbaryl contamination in the local vegetable samples studied were observed with the level of 2.2 g kg^− 1. The results of the proposed method were comparable to those obtained from HPLC (t-test, P = 0.05).     

Fiber optic-linear array detection spectrophotometry in combination with cloud point extraction for simultaneous preconcentration and determination of cobalt and nickel

A new combined method including fiber optic-linear array detection spectrophotometry (FO-LADS) and cloud point extraction (CPE) was developed using a cylindrical micro cell for simultaneous preconcentration and determination of different species. The CPE and FO-LADS methods have good matching conditions for combination because FO-LADS is suitable as a detection technique for the low volume of remained phase obtained after CPE. This combination was carried out using 50 μL cylindrical micro cell and then employed for simultaneous preconcentration and determination of cobalt and nickel.Cloud point extraction method was based on the chromogenic reaction of metal ions and 1-(2-pyridylazo)-2-naphthol (PAN) and then preconcentration of formed complexes using octylphenoxypolyethoxyethanol (Triton X-114). The remained phase after CPE was transferred into cylindrical micro cell and located at the cell holder of FO-LADS. The spectra of cobalt and nickel complexes were collected by FO-LADS and processed for ordinary and first derivative spectrophotometry.Optimization of different parameters was evaluated. Under optimum conditions, calibration curves were linear in the range of 0.6-30.0 and 0.1-15.0 μg L⁻¹ with detection limits of 0.2 and 0.04 μg L⁻¹ for Co and Ni respectively. The relative standard deviations (R.S.D.s) were lower than 4%. The obtained enhancement factors were 198 and 199 for cobalt and nickel, respectively.The proposed method was compared with the other methods and applied to the analysis of several real and spiked samples.     

Flow method based on cloud point extraction for fluorometric determination of epinephrine in human urine

A novel stepwise injection fluorometric method for the determination of epinephrine in human urine has been developed. In the current study, the stepwise injection analysis (SWIA) was successfully combined with on-line in-syringe cloud point extraction (CPE) and fluorometric detection. The procedure was based on the epinephrine derivatization in the presence of o-phenylenediamine followed by the preconcentration stage based on the CPE with the nonionic surfactant Triton X-114. After the phase separation into a syringe of the flow system, the micellar phase containing the epinephrine derivative was transported to a fluorometric detector. The excitation and emission wavelengths were set at 447 nm and 550 nm, respectively. The conditions of epinephrine derivatization and CPE have been studied. The calibration plot constructed using the developed procedure was linear in the range of 1·10⁻¹¹–5·10⁻⁷ mol L⁻¹. The limit of detection, calculated as 3 σ of a blank test (n = 10), was found to be 3·10⁻¹² mol L⁻¹. The proposed method was successfully applied for the determination of epinephrine in human urine samples.     

Screening method for linear alkylbenzene sulfonates in sediments based on water Soxhlet extraction assisted by focused microwaves with on-line preconcentration/derivatization/detection

A screening method for linear alkylbenzene sulfonates (LAS) in sediments has been developed. Soxhlet extraction with water assisted by focused microwaves provides recoveries better (>90%) than obtained by conventional Soxhlet extraction (70-80%). Coupling of the extractor with an on-line preconcentration/derivatization/detection manifold through a flow injection (FI) interface allows a fully automated screening approach. A yes/no answer can be obtained in less than 2 h (for the whole analytical process), a short time compared with the at least 24 h of Soxhlet extraction (without final detection). Due to the use of water as leaching agent, the proposed method is environmentally friendly.     

Cloud-point extraction of nodularin-R from natural waters

A cloud-point extraction (CPE) technique for the determination of a cyanobacterial hepatotoxin, nodularin-R, in aqueous media using a cationic surfactant, tricaprylmethylammonium chloride (Aliquat-336), was developed. Cloud-point phase separation of Aliquat-336 at ambient temperature was induced by the addition of sodium sulfate. The Aliquat-336/Na₂SO₄ CPE system displayed large preconcentration factor, F_C, for nodularin-R. At the operational CPE conditions, F_C of 709.2 was achieved. Distribution constant, K_D, of the distribution of nodularin-R between the surfactant-rich and aqueous phases of the CPE system was estimated to be (4.94±0.8)×10³. Coupled to liquid chromatography with UV detection, the CPE method offered a detection limit of 330 pg ml⁻¹ (in freshwater)/1.3 ng ml⁻¹ (in seawater) and a repeatability of 6.4% (in freshwater) (n=7, P<0.05) for nodularin-R in a sample of 25 ml. The CPE is a rapid process and no cleanup step is required. Effects of pH, natural abundant anion (chloride) and dissolved organic matters (DOM, humic acid, HA) on the extraction efficiency were evaluated. A double CPE technique was developed to overcome interferences encountered in the analysis of environmental samples. Applicability of the new method to the determination of nodularin-R in real coastal marine water samples has also been demonstrated.