Multifiber solid‐phase microextraction using different molecularly imprinted coatings for simultaneous selective extraction and sensitive determination of organophosphorus pesticides

Three types of molecularly imprinted solid‐phase microextraction fibers were fabricated through sol‐gel method using diazinon, parathion‐methyl, and isocarbophos as templates, respectively, and assembled together to construct a multifiber for analysis of organophosphorus pesticides in complex matrices. The multifiber provided large extraction capacity and high imprinting factor up to 3.89. In contrast, the imprinting factor of a single fiber was around 1.6, and the multi‐template imprinted coating showed no selectivity. The multifiber was applied to analyze pesticides in fruits and vegetables. The limits of detection, which ranged from 0.0052 to 0.23 µg/kg, were lower than those obtained by a single molecularly imprinted fiber, and much lower than those reported by other methods. The recoveries of five analytes in spiked apple, cucumber, Chinese cabbage, and cherry tomato samples were 75.1–123.2%. The study shows that the molecularly imprinted multifiber could achieve simultaneous selective extraction and sensitive determination of multiple targets in complex matrices for high‐throughput analysis.     

Preparation and application of molecularly imprinted polymer solid‐phase microextraction fiber for the selective analysis of auxins in tobacco

As signal molecules, auxins play an important role in mediating plant growth. Due to serious interfering substances in plants, it is difficult to accurately detect auxins with traditional solid‐phase extraction methods. To improve the selectivity of sample pretreatment, a novel molecularly imprinted polymer ‐coated solid‐phase microextraction fiber, which could be coupled directly to high‐performance liquid chromatography, was prepared with indole acetic acid as template molecule for the selective extraction of auxins. The factors influencing the polymer formation, such as polymerization solvent, cross‐linker, and polymerization time, were investigated in detail to enhance the performance of indole acetic acid‐molecularly imprinted polymer coating. The morphological and chemical stability of this molecularly imprinted polymer‐coated fiber was characterized by scanning electron microscopy, infrared spectrometry, and thermal analysis. The extraction capacity of the molecularly imprinted polymer‐coated solid‐phase microextraction fiber was evaluated for the selective extraction of indole acetic acid and indole‐3‐pyruvic acid followed by high‐performance liquid chromatography analysis. The linear range for indole acetic acid and indole‐3‐pyruvic acid was 1–100 µg/L and their detection limit was 0.5 µg/L. The method was applied to the simultaneous determination of two auxins in two kinds of tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum L and Nicotiana rustica L) samples, with recoveries range from 82.1 to 120.6%.     

Preparation of hydrophilic molecularly imprinted solid‐phase microextraction fiber for the selective removal and extraction of trace tetracyclines residues in animal derived foods

The present work reported a novel hydrophilic and selective solid‐phase microextraction fiber by improved multiple co‐polymerization method immobilization of tetracycline molecularly imprinted polymer on a stainless steel wire and directly coupled with high‐performance liquid chromatography for sensitive determination of trace tetracyclines residues in animal derived foods. The developed molecularly imprinted polymer coated solid‐phase microextraction fibers were characterized through scanning electron microscopy, Fourier transfer infrared spectroscopy, thermogravimetric analysis, and adsorption experiments, the fiber with cross‐linked and porous structure was observed and high thermal and chemical stability. The maximum adsorption capacity of this fiber with good selectivity reached 2.35 µg/mg in aqueous matrices, and showed good repeatability (relative standard deviation ≤ 6.6%, n = 5) and satisfying reproducibility between fiber to fiber (relative standard deviation ≤ 7.8%, n = 5). Under the optimized solid‐phase microextraction conditions, satisfactory linearity (5–1000 µg/L) and detection limits (0.38–0.72 µg/kg, S/N = 3) for all the tetracyclines were obtained. The practicality of this method was proved by adding tetracycline, oxytetracycline at three levels to milk, chicken, and fish samples with good recoveries of 77.3–104.4%.     

Ultrasensitive determination of highly polar trimethyl phosphate in environmental water by molecularly imprinted polymeric fiber headspace solid‐phase microextraction

A sensitive, accurate, and cost effective method for the quantification of trimethyl phosphate, which is highly polar and volatile, in environmental water is presented. Trimethyl phosphate was headspace solid‐phase microextracted on a molecularly imprinted polymeric fiber, and then the fiber was thermally desorbed in the gas chromatograph injector, and the compound was determined. The trimethyl phosphate imprinted polymeric fiber was prepared by copolymerization in a fused silica capillary tube and obtained by removal of the wall of fused silica capillary tube. The monolithic fiber displayed good selectivity toward trimethyl phosphate among its structural analogues. It was thermally stable up to 320°C so that it can withstand the high temperature of the gas chromatograph injector for desorption. The factors influencing the performance of its headspace solid‐phase microextraction were studied. Under the optimal conditions, the method for quantification of trimethyl phosphate in environmental water was well developed. It exhibited significant linearity, the lowest limit of quantification to date, and good recoveries. Using this method, trimethyl phosphate was detected in five out of seven environmental water samples at concentration levels from 0.28 to 1.22 μg/L, illustrating the heavy pollution of trimethyl phosphate in environmental water.     

Preparation and application of a novel molecularly imprinted solid‐phase microextraction monolith for selective enrichment of cholecystokinin neuropeptides in human cerebrospinal fluid

A novel molecularly imprinted polymer (MIP) monolith for highly selective extraction of cholecystokinin (CCK) neuropeptides was prepared in a micropipette tip. The MIPs were synthesized by epitope imprinting technique and the polymerization conditions were investigated and optimized. The synthesized MIPs were characterized by infrared spectroscopy, elemental analyzer and scanning electron microscope. A molecularly imprinted solid‐phase microextraction (MI‐μ‐SPE) method was developed for the extraction of CCK neuropeptides in aqueous solutions. The parameters affecting MI‐μ‐SPE were optimized. The results indicated that this MIP monolith exhibited specific recognition capability and high enrichment efficiency for CCK neuropeptides. In addition, it showed excellent reusability. This MIP monolith was used for desalting and enrichment of CCK4, CCK5 and CCK8 from human cerebrospinal fluid prior to matrix‐assisted laser desorption/ionization time‐of‐flight mass spectrometry analysis, and the results show that this MIP monolith can be a useful tool for effective purification and highly selective enrichment of multiple homologous CCK neuropeptides in cerebrospinal fluid simultaneously. By employing MI‐μ‐SPE combined with HPLC‐ESI‐MS/MS analysis, endogenous CCK4 in human cerebrospinal fluid was quantified. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

An in‐needle solid‐phase microextraction device packed with etched steel wires for polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons enrichment in water samples

A novel, low‐cost and effective in‐needle solid‐phase microextraction device was developed for the enrichment of trace polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in water samples. The in‐needle solid‐phase microextraction device could be easily assembled by inserting hydrofluoric acid‐etched wires, which were used as adsorbent, into a 22‐gauge needle tube within spring supporters. Compared with the commercial solid‐phase microextraction fiber, the developed device has higher efficiency for the extraction of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons with four to six rings from water samples using the optimized extraction conditions. With gas chromatography equipped with a flame ionization detector, the limits of detection for the polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons with four to six rings ranged from 0.0020 to 0.0067 ng/mL. The relative standard deviations for one needle and needle‐to‐needle extractions were in the range of 5.2–9.9% (n = 5) and 3.4–12.3% (n = 5), respectively. The spiked recoveries of the polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in tap water samples ranged from 73.2 to 95.4%. This in‐needle solid‐phase microextraction device could be a good field sampler because of the low sample loss over a long storage time.     

Gold nanoparticles based solid‐phase microextraction coatings for determining organochlorine pesticides in aqueous environmental samples

The use of solid‐phase microextraction coatings based on gold nanoparticles was investigated, focusing the attention on the preparation of nanoparticles with nonclassical reduction agents of HAuCl₄ such as gallic acid and H₂O₂, rather than the conventional sodium citrate. All nanoparticles were characterized by diode array spectroscopy, whereas novel nanoparticles prepared with gallic acid and H₂O₂ were also characterized by microscopic techniques. Solid‐phase microextraction coatings were prepared with a layer‐by‐layer approach. Gallic acid permitted the preparation of stable nanoparticles with milder experimental conditions (1 min, room temperature) and provided the most uniform coatings (thickness ∼3 μm). Seven organochlorine pesticides were determined in different environmental waters using gas chromatography with electron capture detection. Despite the low thickness of the coatings, limits of detection of the entire method down to 0.13 μg/L were obtained. A comparison with the commercial polyacrylate in terms of the partition coefficients of the analytes to the coatings gave logarithm of the partition coefficient values two times higher with gallic acid than polyacrylate (although the commercial fiber is 28 times thicker). Interfiber relative standard deviation values ranged from 8.67 to 21.3%. Optimum fibers also presented an adequate lifetime (>100 extractions).     

微孔有机聚合物固相微萃取纤维的制备及在有机氯农药检测中的应用

利用1,3,6,8-四(4-醛基)芘和三聚氰胺为单体合成微孔有机聚合物(MOP),并将其固定在不锈钢丝上,制备成固相微萃取纤维涂层。将其用于顶空固相微萃取(HS-SPME),结合气相色谱-电子捕获检测手段,建立了对大米中有机氯农药的在线检测方法。实验考察了4种实验参数对富集能力的影响,得到了最优的实验条件:萃取温度80℃、萃取时间25 min、NaCl质量浓度200 g/L、解吸时间6 min。在此实验条件下,对有机氯农药的富集倍数达到115~318倍。方法在0.05~50μg/kg范围内具有良好的线性关系,检出限为2.4~11.3 ng/kg。同一纤维及不同纤维富集后测定结果的相对标准偏差范围分别为1.3%~13.1%和2.3%~13.6%。该方法简单、快速,可以实现对实际样品中有机氯农药的痕量分析。     

Preparation of molecularly imprinted polymeric fibers using a single bifunctional monomer for the solid‐phase microextraction of parabens from environmental solid samples

In this study, molecularly imprinted polymer fibers for solid‐phase microextraction have been prepared with a single bifunctional monomer, N,O‐bismethacryloyl ethanolamine using the so‐called “one monomer molecularly imprinted polymers” method, replacing the conventional combination of functional monomer and cross‐linker to form high fidelity binding sites. For comparison, imprinted fibers were prepared following the conventional approach based on ethylene glycol dimethacrylate as cross‐linker and methacrylic acid as monomer. The recognition performance of the new fibers was evaluated in the solid‐phase microextraction of parabens, and from this study it was concluded that they provided superior performance over conventionally formulated fibers. Ultimately, real‐world environmental testing on spiked solid samples was successful by the molecularly imprinted solid‐phase microextraction of samples, and the relative recoveries obtained at enrichment levels of 10 ng/g of parabens were within 78–109% for soil and 83–109% for sediments with a relative standard deviation <15% (n = 3).     

Solid-phase microextraction of chlorpyrifos in fruit samples by synthesised monolithic molecularly imprinted polymer fibres

A monolithic solid-phase microextraction (SPME) fibre was fabricated based on a molecularly imprinted polymer that could be coupled with gas chromatography for extraction, and determination of chlorpyrifos. The time of extraction, pH, temperature and ionic strength were investigated as important factors on the extraction procedure. The fabricated fibre was firm, inexpensive, stable and selective which gave it vital importance in SPME. The selectivity of the fabricated fibre in relation to analogue compounds was also investigated. Under the optimum conditions, the calibration curve was linear in the range of 1–20 mg L^?1 (R² = 0.9899). The high extraction efficiency was obtained for chlorpyrifos with a detection limit of 0.23 mg L^?1. The fabricated fibre was successfully applied to SPME of chlorpyrifos from apple and grape fruits after its extraction and followed by gas chromatography-flame ionisation detector analysis.     

Preparation and application of a polythiophene solid‐phase microextraction fiber for the determination of endocrine‐disruptor pesticides in well waters

A robust solid‐phase microextraction fiber was fabricated by electropolymerization of thiophene on a stainless steel wire. This fiber was applied for the determination of endocrine‐disruptor pesticides, namely, chlorpyrifos, penconazole, procymidone, bromopropylate, and λ‐cyhalothrin in well waters by a headspace solid‐phase microextraction procedure. Operational parameters, namely, pH, sample volume, adsorption temperature and time, desorption temperature, stirring rate, and salt amount were optimized as 7.0, 8 mL, 70°C and 20 min, 250°C, 600 rpm, and 0.3 g/mL, respectively. The separation power of GC was coupled with the excellent sensitivity of the developed fiber enabling us to determine pesticide mixtures simultaneously in a ng/mL range. The LOD was in the range of 0.02–0.64 ng/mL. The method was successfully applied for the selective and sensitive determination of target pesticides in well water samples with acceptable recovery values (92–110%). The polythiophene fiber gives satisfactory results compared with commercial fibers. Commonly used pesticides with different polarities were chosen as representative compounds to search the applicability of the fiber for well water analysis collected from vineyards.     

Silicon carbide nanomaterial as a coating for solid‐phase microextraction

Silicon carbide has excellent properties, such as corrosion resistance, high strength, oxidation resistance, high temperature, and so on. Based on these properties, silicon carbide was coated on stainless‐steel wire and used as a solid‐phase microextraction coating, and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons were employed as model analytes. Using gas chromatography, some important factors that affect the extraction efficiency were optimized one by one, and an analytical method was established. The analytical method showed wide linear ranges (0.1–30, 0.03–30, and 0.01–30 μg/L) with satisfactory correlation coefficients (0.9922–0.9966) and low detection limits (0.003–0.03 μg/L). To investigate the practical application of the method, rainwater and cigarette ash aqueous solution were collected as real samples for extraction and detection. The results indicate that silicon carbide has excellent application in the field of solid‐phase microextraction.     

Ternary deep eutectic solvent magnetic molecularly imprinted polymers for the dispersive magnetic solid‐phase microextraction of green tea

Ternary deep eutectic solvent magnetic molecularly imprinted polymers grafted on silica were developed for the selective recognition and separation of theophylline, theobromine, (+)‐catechin hydrate, and caffeic acid from green tea through dispersive magnetic solid‐phase microextraction. A new ternary deep eutectic solvent was adopted as a functional monomer. The materials obtained were characterized by FTIR spectroscopy, field emission scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, NMR spectroscopy, and powder X‐ray diffraction. The practical recovery of the theophylline, theobromine, (+)‐catechin hydrate, and caffeic acid isolated with ternary deep eutectic solvent magnetic molecularly imprinted polymers in green tea were 91.82, 92.13, 89.96, and 90.73%, respectively, and the actual amounts extracted were 5.82, 4.32, 18.36, and 3.69 mg/g, respectively. The new method involving the novel material coupled with dispersive magnetic solid‐phase microextraction showed outstanding recognition, selectivity and excellent magnetism, providing a new perspective for the separation of bioactive compounds.     

Magnetic solid‐phase extraction or dispersive liquid–liquid microextraction for pyrethroid determination in environmental samples

The determination of 15 pyrethroids in soil and water samples was carried out by gas chromatography with mass spectrometry. Compounds were extracted from the soil samples (4 g) using solid–liquid extraction and then salting‐out assisted liquid–liquid extraction. The acetonitrile phase obtained (0.8 mL) was used as a dispersant solvent, to which 75 μL of chloroform was added as an extractant solvent, submitting the mixture to dispersive liquid–liquid microextraction. For the analysis of water samples (40 mL), magnetic solid‐phase extraction was performed using nanocomposites of magnetic nanoparticles and multiwalled carbon nanotubes as sorbent material (10 mg). The mixture was shaken for 45 min at room temperature before separation with a magnet and desorption with 3 mL of acetone using ultrasounds for 5 min. The solvent was evaporated and reconstituted with 100 μL acetonitrile before injection. Matrix‐matched calibration is recommended for quantification of soil samples, while water samples can be quantified by standards calibration. The limits of detection were in the range of 0.03–0.5 ng/g (soil) and 0.09–0.24 ng/mL (water), depending on the analyte. The analyzed environmental samples did not contain the studied pyrethroids, at least above the corresponding limits of detection.     

Ultrapreconcentration and determination of organophosphorus pesticides in water by solid‐phase extraction combined with dispersive liquid–liquid microextraction and high‐performance liquid chromatography

Solid‐phase extraction coupled with dispersive liquid–liquid microextraction was developed as an ultra‐preconcentration method for the determination of four organophosphorus pesticides (isocarbophos, parathion‐methyl, triazophos and fenitrothion) in water samples. The analytes considered in this study were rapidly extracted and concentrated from large volumes of aqueous solutions (100 mL) by solid‐phase extraction coupled with dispersive liquid–liquid microextraction and then analyzed using high performance liquid chromatography. Experimental variables including type and volume of elution solvent, volume and flow rate of sample solution, salt concentration, type and volume of extraction solvent and sample solution pH were investigated for the solid‐phase extraction coupled with dispersive liquid–liquid microextraction with these analytes, and the best results were obtained using methanol as eluent and ethylene chloride as extraction solvent. Under the optimal conditions, an exhaustive extraction for four analytes (recoveries >86.9%) and high enrichment factors were attained. The limits of detection were between 0.021 and 0.15 μg/L. The relative standard deviations for 0.5 μg/L of the pesticides in water were in the range of 1.9–6.8% (n = 5). The proposed strategy offered the advantages of simple operation, high enrichment factor and sensitivity and was successfully applied to the determination of four organophosphorus pesticides in water samples.     

Selective solid‐phase extraction using a molecularly imprinted polymer for the analysis of patulin in apple‐based foods

The aim of this work was to evaluate the use of a molecularly imprinted polymer as a selective solid‐phase extraction sorbent for the clean‐up and pre‐concentration of patulin from apple‐based food products. Ultra high pressure liquid chromatography coupled to ultraviolet absorbance detection was used for the analysis of patulin. The molecularly imprinted polymer was applied, for the first time, to the determination of patulin in apple juice, puree and jam samples spiked within the maximum levels specified by the European Commission No. 1881/2006. High recoveries (>77%) were obtained. The method was validated and found to be linear in the range 2–100 μg/kg with correlation coefficients greater than 0.965 and repeatability relative standard deviation below 11% in all cases. Compared with dispersive solid‐phase extraction (QuEChERS method) and octadecyl sorbent, the molecularly imprinted polymer showed higher recoveries and selectivity for patulin. The application of Affinisep molecularly imprinted polymer as a selective sorbent material for detection of patulin fulfilled the method performance criteria required by the Commission Regulation No. 401/2006, demonstrating the suitability of the technique for the control of patulin at low ppb levels in different apple‐based foods such as juice, puree and jam samples.     

Electrospun terpolymeric nanofiber membrane for micro solid‐phase extraction of diazinon and chlorpyrifos from aqueous samples

The present study deals with the synthesis and electrospining of a new terpolymer nanofiber in order to determine the amount of diazinon and chlorpyrifos in water and fruit juice samples. The synthesized terpolymer and the prepared nanofiber were characterized using ¹H NMR spectroscopy, FTIR spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, and gel permeation chromatography. The performance of terpolymer nanofiber, prepared as a sorbent for micro solid phase extraction was investigated for the extraction of diazinon and chlorpyrifos from aquaeous media. Then, the target analytes were desorbed from the coating with an organic solvent and analyzed by gas chromatography with flame ionization detector. Extraction efficiencies were significant (>90%) under the optimum condition. The proposed method also demonstrated good linear dynamic ranges for diazinon and chlorpyrifos (3–250 and 5–200 µg/L), and low limit of detections (0.5 and 0.7 µg/L) respectively. Moreover, under optimum condition for extraction of diazinon and chlorpyrifos, square of correlation coefficients (R²) of 0.9978 and 0.9953 and relative standard deviations of 4.6 and 5.1% were achieved, respectively. The recoveries for diazinon and chlorpyrifos were in the range of 85–97%.     

Fabrication of boron‐rich multiple monolithic fibers for the solid‐phase microextraction of carbamate pesticide residues in complex samples

To enrich carbamate pesticides from complex matrices, an adsorbent based on poly (vinylboronic anhydride pyridine complex‐co‐ethylenedimethacrylate) monolith was fabricated and utilized as the extraction phase of multiple monolithic fiber solid‐phase microextraction. Due to the abundant boron atoms in the monolith, the B–N coordination interaction between adsorbent and analytes play a key role in the efficient extraction of analytes. Under the optimized conditions, the monolithic fibers were combined with high‐performance liquid chromatography for the quantify trace levels of carbamate pesticides in environmental water and orange juice samples. For water sample, the limit of detection and limit of quantification were in the range of 0.017–0.29 and 0.057–0.96 μg/L, respectively. The related values in orange juice samples were 0.038–0.39 and 0.12–1.36 μg/kg, respectively. Besides, the proposed method also exhibits wide linearity, satisfactory coefficients of determination, and good precision. The introduced approach was successfully applied to determine trace target analytes in real‐life samples. The spiked recoveries with different fortified concentrations were in the range of 80.4–117% for water samples and 83.7–119% for fruit juice samples. The relative standard deviations were below 10%. The results evidence that the suggested method was convenient, reliable, and eco‐friendly for the monitoring of trace levels of carbamate pesticides in complex samples such as waters and juices.     

Magnetic solid‐phase extraction method for extraction of some pesticides in vegetable and fruit juices

A new version of magnetic solid‐phase extraction performed in a narrow‐bore tube has been proposed for the extraction and preconcentration of different pesticides from various vegetable and fruit juices followed by gas chromatography. A few milligrams of C₈@SiO₂@Fe₃O₄ nanoparticles are added into an aqueous sample solution placed in a narrow‐bore tube. The sorbent particles move down through the tube under gravity and are collected at the end of the tube by applying an external magnetic field. The end of the tube is narrower and it is connected to a stopcock. After a predetermined time, the stopcock is opened and the solution is passed through the bed of the sorbent maintained by the magnet. Then the adsorbed analytes are desorbed using an elution solvent. To achieve high enrichment factors, a dispersive liquid–liquid microextraction method is carried out. The nanoparticles were characterized by scanning electron microscopy, X‐ray diffraction, and FTIR spectroscopy. Under the optimum extraction conditions, limits of detection and quantification were in the ranges of 0.1–0.3 and 0.3–0.9 μg/L, respectively. High enrichment factors (1166–1605) and good extraction recoveries (58–80%) were obtained.     

Development of solid‐phase microextraction coupled with liquid chromatography for analysis of tramadol in brain tissue using its molecularly imprinted polymer

In this work, performance of a molecularly imprinted polymer (MIP) as a selective solid‐phase microextraction sorbent for the extraction and enrichment of tramadol in aqueous solution and rabbit brain tissue, is described. Binding properties of MIPs were studied in comparison with their nonimprinted polymer (NIP). Ten milligrams of the optimized MIP was then evaluated as a sorbent, for preconcentration, in molecularly imprinted solid‐phase microextraction (MISPME) of tramadol from aqueous solution and rabbit brain tissue. The analytical method was calibrated in the range of 0.004 ppm (4 ng mL⁻¹) and 10 ppm (10 μg mL⁻¹) in aqueous media and in the ranges of 0.01 and 10 ppm in rabbit brain tissue, respectively. The results indicated significantly higher binding affinity of MIPs to tramadol, in comparison with NIP. The MISPME procedure was developed and optimized with a recovery of 81.12–107.54% in aqueous solution and 76.16–91.20% in rabbit brain tissue. The inter‐ and intra‐day variation values were <8.24 and 5.06%, respectively. Finally the calibrated method was applied for determination of tramadol in real rabbit brain tissue samples after administration of a lethal dose. Our data demonstrated the potential of MISPME for rapid, sensitive and cost‐effective sample analysis.