Determination of anti‐malaria agent chloroquine using single drop liquid‐liquid‐liquid microextraction

A simple, sensitive, and inexpensive single drop liquid‐liquid‐liquid microextraction combined with isocratic RP‐HPLC and UV detection was developed for the determination of anti‐malaria drug, chloroquine. The target compound was extracted from alkaline aqueous sample solution (adjusted to 0.5 mol/L sodium hydroxide) through a thin layer of organic solvent membrane and back‐extracted to an acidic acceptor drop (adjusted to 0.02 mol/L phosphoric acid) suspended on the tip of a 25 μL HPLC syringe in the organic layer. This syringe was also used for direct injection after extraction. The linear range was 1–200 μg/L. The LOD and LOQ were 0.3 and 1.0 μg/L, respectively. Intra‐and inter‐day precisions were less than 2.0 and 2.3%, respectively. The real samples were successfully analyzed using the proposed method. The recoveries of spiked samples were more than 94.6%.     

Ionic liquid for single‐drop microextraction followed by high‐performance liquid chromatography‐ultraviolet detection to determine carbonyl compounds in environmental waters

A sensitive method based on ionic liquid for single‐drop liquid microextraction coupled with HPLC‐UV was developed for the determination of carbonyl compounds in environmental waters using 1‐octyl‐3‐methylimidazolium hexafluorophosphate [C₈min][PF₆] as extraction solvent and 2,4‐dinitrophenylhydrazine as derivatizing agent. The extraction parameters affecting the enrichment factors such as solvent volume, pH, extraction time and salt concentration were investigated. A homemade funnel form polytetrafluoroethylene sleeve was fixed at the tip of the syringe needle and this allowed the use of 10 μL drop of ionic liquid for direct immersion extraction. Under the optimal conditions, the remarkable enrichment factors up to 150‐fold were obtained depending on the target analytes. The method has been validated when rectilinear relationship was obtained between the concentrations of analytes and peak area in the range of 5–100 ng/mL, the correlation coefficients were from 0.995 to 0.998, and the limit of detection was in the range of 0.04–2.03 ng/mL. The method was applied to monitor the concentration of carbonyl compounds in environmental waters with spiked recovery in the range of 84.2–106.9%.     

Sensitive determination of atorvastatin in human plasma by dispersive liquid–liquid microextraction and solidification of floating organic drop followed by high‐performance liquid chromatography

A novel and sensitive dispersive liquid–liquid microextraction method based on the solidification of the floating organic drop combined with high‐performance liquid chromatography and ultraviolet detection was used for the determination of atorvastatine in blood serum samples. The chromatographic separation of atorvastatin was carried out using methanol as the mobile phase organic modifier. Various parameters affecting the extraction efficiency were optimized, such as the kind and volume of extraction solvent (1‐undecanol) and disperser solvent (acetonitrile), pH, and the extraction time. The calibration curve was linear in the range of 0.2–6000 μg/L of atorvastatin (r² = 0.995) with a limit of detection of 0.07 μg/L. The relative standard deviation for 100 μg/L of atorvastatin in human plasma was 8.4% (n = 4). The recoveries of plasma samples spiked with atorvastatin were in the range of 98.8–113.8%. The obtained results showed that the proposed method is fast, simple, and reliable for the determination of very low concentrations of atorvastatin in human plasma samples.     

A glance at achievements in the coupling of headspace and direct immersion single‐drop microextraction with chromatographic techniques

The present article offers a glance at achievements in single‐drop microextraction(SDME), with a focus on the two most commonly used modes of this technique: headspace and direct immersion. Factors affecting SDME, such as the pH and ionic strength of the sample solution, the stirring rate, and the extraction time are briefly summarized. The requirements for the acceptor phase and the influence of the sampling temperature are presented. In addition, the potential of the application of microwave and ultrasonic energy in SDME is also discussed. Examples of the application of the headspace and direct immersion modes of SDME are given in a table as additional Supporting Information.     

Application of ionic liquid in liquid phase microextraction technology

Ionic liquids (ILs) are novel nonmolecular solvents. Their unique properties, such as high thermal stability, tunable viscosity, negligible vapor pressure, nonflammability, and good solubility for inorganic and organic compounds, make them excellent candidates as extraction media for a range of microextraction techniques. Many physical properties of ILs can be varied, and the structural design can be tuned to impart the desired functionality and enhance the analyte extraction selectivity, efficiency, and sensitivity. This paper provides an overview of the applications of ILs in liquid phase microextraction technology, such as single‐drop microextraction, hollow fiber based liquid phase microextraction, and dispersive liquid–liquid microextraction. The sensitivity, linear calibration range, and detection limits for a range of target analytes in the methods were analyzed to determine the advantages of ILs in liquid phase microextraction.     

Single‐drop microextraction followed by in‐syringe derivatization and GC‐MS detection for the determination of parabens in water and cosmetic products

A single‐drop microextraction (SDME) method followed by in‐syringe derivatization and GC‐MS determination has been developed for analysis of five parabens, including methyl, ethyl, isopropyl, n‐propyl and n‐butyl paraben in water samples and cosmetic products. N,O‐Bis(trimethylsilyl)acetamide (BSA) was used as derivatization reagent. Derivatization reaction was performed inside the syringe barrel using 0.4 μL of BSA. Parameters that affect the derivatization yield such as temperature and time of the reaction were studied. In addition, experimental SDME parameters such as selection of organic solvent, addition of salt, extraction time and extraction temperature were investigated and optimized. The RSD of the method for aqueous samples varied from 8.1 to 13%. The LODs ranged from 0.001 (n‐butyl paraben) to 0.015 (methyl paraben) μg/L, and the enrichment factors were between 23 and 150.     

Dispersion‐solidification liquid–liquid microextraction for volatile aromatic hydrocarbons determination: Comparison with liquid phase microextraction based on the solidification of a floating drop

Two microextraction techniques – liquid phase microextraction based on solidification of a floating organic drop (LPME‐SFO) and dispersive liquid–liquid microextraction combined with a solidification of a floating organic drop (DLLME‐SFO) – are explored for benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene and o‐xylene sampling and preconcentration. The investigation covers the effects of extraction solvent type, extraction and disperser solvents' volume, and the extraction time. For both techniques 1‐undecanol containing n‐heptane as internal standard was used as an extracting solvent. For DLLME‐SFO acetone was used as a disperser solvent. The calibration curves for both techniques and for all the analytes were linear up to 10 μg/mL, correlation coefficients were in the range 0.997–0.998, enrichment factors were from 87 for benzene to 290 for o‐xylene, detection limits were from 0.31 and 0.35 μg/L for benzene to 0.15 and 0.10 μg/L for o‐xylene for LPME‐SFO and DLLME‐SFO, respectively. Repeatabilities of the results were acceptable with RSDs up to 12%. Being comparable with LPME‐SFO in the analytical characteristics, DLLME‐SFO is superior to LPME‐SFO in the extraction time. A possibility to apply the proposed techniques for volatile aromatic hydrocarbons determination in tap water and snow was demonstrated.     

Single‐drop microextraction combined in‐line with capillary electrophoresis for the determination of nonsteroidal anti‐inflammatory drugs in urine samples

This study describes a method to determine nonsteroidal anti‐inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) in urine samples based on the use of single‐drop microextraction (SDME) in a three‐phase design as a preconcentration technique coupled in‐line to capillary electrophoresis. Different parameters affecting the extraction efficiency of the SDME process were evaluated (e.g. type of extractant, volume of the microdroplet, and extraction time). The developed method was successfully applied to the analysis of human urine samples with LODs ranging between 1.0 and 2.5 μg/mL for all of the NSAIDs under study. This method shows RSD values ranging from 8.5 to 15.3% in interday analysis. The enrichment factors were calculated, resulting 27‐fold for ketoprofen, 14‐fold for diclofenac, 12‐fold for ibuprofen, and 44‐fold naproxen. Samples were analyzed applying the SDME–CE method and the obtained results presented satisfactory recovery values (82–115%). The overall method can be considered a promising approach for the analysis of NSAIDs in urine samples after minimal sample pretreatment.     

Magnetic ionic liquid assisted single‐drop microextraction of ascorbic acid before its voltammetric determination

For the first time, we coupled a microextraction technique using a magnetic ionic liquid with voltammetric determination. A hydrophobic magnetic ionic liquid that contains the tetrachloromanganate(II) anion, namely, aliquat tetrachloromanganate(II), was synthesized and used for the extraction of ascorbic acid from aqueous solutions followed by voltammetric determination. The extraction procedure was carried out using a single drop microextraction technique in which the ascorbic acid containing magnetic ionic liquid was separated with a magnet and then cast onto the surface of a carbon paste electrode modified with TiO₂ nanoparticles for the voltammetric quantification of the extracted ascorbic acid. Electrochemical quantification was carried out in a blank phosphate buffer solution. After optimizing different experimental conditions, a linear concentration range of 1.50–40.0 nM with a detection limit of 0.43 nM was obtained for the determination of ascorbic acid. The presented approach was successfully applied to the determination of ascorbic acid in samples of vitamin C effervescent tablets and orange juice.     

Up‐and‐down shaker‐assisted ionic liquid‐based dispersive liquid—liquid microextraction of benzophenone‐type ultraviolet filters

Sun protection is an important part of our lives. UV filters are widely used to absorb solar radiation in sunscreens. However, excess UV filters constitute persistent groups of organic micropollutants present in the environment. An environmentally friendly ionic‐liquid‐based up‐and‐down shaker‐assisted dispersive liquid?liquid microextraction device combined with ultra‐performance liquid chromatography coupled with photodiode‐array detection has been developed to preconcentrate three UV filters (benzophenone, 2‐hydroxy‐4‐methoxybenzophenone, 2,2′‐dihydroxy‐4‐methoxybenzophenone) from field water samples. In this method, the optimal conditions for the proposed extraction method were: 40 μL [C₈MIM][PF₆] as extraction solvent and 200 μL methanol as disperser solvent were used to extract the UV filters. After up‐and‐down shaking for 3 min, the aqueous solution was centrifuged at 5000 rpm speed, then using microtube to collect the settled extraction solvent and using ultra‐performance liquid chromatography for further analysis. Quantification results indicated that the linear range was 2–1000 ng/mL. The LOD of this method was in the range 0.2–1.3 ng/mL with r² ≥ 0.9993. The relative recovery in studies of different types of field water samples was in the range 92–120%, and the RSD was 2.3–7.1%. The proposed method was also applied to the analysis of field samples.     

Transportation and mixing of droplets by surface acoustic wave

Unit operations for complicated biochemical analysis cannot usually be integrated into one substrate. A possible solution to solve this problem is to integrate multi-unit operations into two or more substrates. In this case, transporting droplets from one substrate to another is essential. In this work, a new method to transport droplets from a hydrophobic glass substrate to a piezoelectric substrate is proposed. An interdigitated transducer (IDT) and reflectors were fabricated on an optic grade 128° YX-cut lithium niobate (LiNbO₃) substrate, and its working surface between the IDT and a reflector was modified to be hydrophobic. Droplets to be transported were first pipetted onto a glass substrate. Adjust the glass substrate so that the droplets could contact the working surface of the piezoelectric substrate, and then was moved down. These droplets could be successfully transported from the glass surface to the piezoelectric substrate because of their “adhesion work” difference. By using this mechanism, water and red dye droplets were successfully transported from glass substrate to piezoelectric substrate. As an application, droplets mixing process was demonstrated in the piezoelectric substrate by using surface acoustic wave after they have been transported from the glass substrate.     

In‐line coupled single drop liquid–liquid–liquid microextraction with capillary electrophoresis for determining fluoroquinolones in water samples

A simple in‐line single drop liquid–liquid–liquid microextraction (SD‐LLLME) coupled with CE for the determination of two fluoroquinolones was developed. The method is capable to quantify trace amount of analytes in water samples and to improve the sensitivity of CE detection. For the SD‐LLLME, a thin layer of organic phase was used to separate a drop of 0.1 M NaOH hanging at the inlet of the capillary from the aqueous donor phase. By this way, the analytes were extracted to the acceptor phase through the organic layer based on their acidic/basic dissociation equilibrium. The drop was immersed into the organic phase during 10 min for extraction and then it is directly injected into the capillary for the analysis. Parameters such as type and volume of organic solvent phase, aqueous donor, and acceptor phases and extraction time and temperature were optimized. The enrichment factor was calculated, resulting 40‐fold for enrofloxacin (ENR) and sixfold for ciprofloxacin (CIP). The linear range were 20–400 μg/L for ENR and 60–400 μg/L for CIP. The detection limits were 10.1 μg/L and 55.3 μg/L for ENR and CIP, respectively, and a good reproducibility was obtained (4.4% for ENR and 5.6% for CIP). Two real water samples were analysed applying the new method and the obtained results presented satisfactory recovery percentages (90–100.3%).     

Surface acoustic wave biosensors: a review

This review presents an overview of 20 years of worldwide development in the field of biosensors based on special types of surface acoustic wave (SAW) devices that permit the highly sensitive detection of biorelevant molecules in liquid media (such as water or aqueous buffer solutions). 1987 saw the first approaches, which used either horizontally polarized shear waves (HPSW) in a delay line configuration on lithium tantalate (LiTaO₃) substrates or SAW resonator structures on quartz or LiTaO₃ with periodic mass gratings. The latter are termed “surface transverse waves” (STW), and they have comparatively low attenuation values when operated in liquids. Later Love wave devices were developed, which used a film resonance effect to significantly reduce attenuation. All of these sensor approaches were accompanied by the development of appropriate sensing films. First attempts used simple layers of adsorbed antibodies. Later approaches used various types of covalently bound layers, for example those utilizing intermediate hydrogel layers. Recent approaches involve SAW biosensor devices inserted into compact systems with integrated fluidics for sample handling. To achieve this, the SAW biosensors can be embedded into micromachined polymer housings. Combining these two features will extend the system to create versatile biosensor arrays for generic lab use or for diagnostic purposes. SAW based biosensor immersed in a sample flow. Analyte molecules binding to the immobilized antibodies on the sensor surface will influence the velocity of the SAW and hence the output signal generated by the driving electronics.     

Double sample preconcentration by in‐line coupled large volume single drop microextraction and sweeping in capillary electrophoresis

Single drop microextraction (SDME) is a convenient and powerful preconcentration method for CE before injection. By simple combination of sample‐handling sequences without modification of the CE apparatus, a drop of an aqueous acceptor phase covered with a thin organic layer was formed at the tip of a capillary; 10 min SDME of fluorescein and 6‐carboxyfluorescein from a donor phase of pH 1 to an acceptor phase of pH 9 provided 110‐fold enrichments without stirring the donor phase. To improve the concentration effect further, SDME was coupled with an on‐line (after injection) sample preconcentration method, sweeping, in which analytes in a long sample zone are accumulated at the boundary of a pseudostationary phase penetrating into the sample zone. It is thus necessary to inject a sample of much larger volume than that of a drop in typical SDME. A Teflon sleeve over the capillary inlet allowed a large volume drop to be held stably during extraction. By in‐line coupling 10 min SDME and sweeping of a 30 nL sample using a cationic surfactant dodecyltrimethylammonium, enrichment factors of the double preconcentration were increased up to 32 000.     

Syringe‐to‐syringe dispersive liquid‐phase microextraction solidified floating organic drop combined with high‐performance liquid chromatography for the separation and quantification of ochratoxin A in food samples

A new, simple, and rapid syringe‐to‐syringe dispersive liquid‐phase microextraction with solidified floating organic drop was used for the separation and preconcentration of ochratoxin A from grain and juice samples before its quantification using high‐performance liquid chromatography and fluorescence detection. Factors influencing the microextraction efficiency of ochratoxin A, such as sample solution pH, type and volume of organic extractant, salt concentration, number of injections, and volume of the sample, were studied and optimized. Under the optimum properties, the calibration graph showed linearity in the range of 65.0–700.0 ng/L (coefficient of determination = 0.9991). The limit of detection was 20.0 ng/L. The inter‐day and intra‐day relative standard deviations were in the range of 5.0–8.5%. This method was successfully applied for the quantification of ochratoxin A in grain and juice 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.     

Determination of atenolol in human plasma using ionic‐liquid‐based ultrasound‐assisted in situ solvent formation microextraction followed by high‐performance liquid chromatography

An efficient analytical method called ionic‐liquid‐based ultrasound‐assisted in situ solvent formation microextraction followed by high‐performance liquid chromatography was developed for the determination of atenolol in human plasma. A hydrophobic ionic liquid (1‐butyl‐3‐methylimidazolium hexafluorophosphate) was formed by the addition of a hydrophilic ionic liquid (1‐butyl‐3‐methylimidazolium tetrafluoroborate) to a sample solution containing an ion‐pairing agent during microextraction. The analyte was extracted into the ionic liquid phase while the microextraction solvent was dispersed throughout the sample by utilizing ultrasound. The sample was then centrifuged, and the extracting phase retracted into the microsyringe and injected to liquid chromatography. After optimization, the calibration curve showed linearity in the range of 2–750 ng/mL with the regression coefficient corresponding to 0.998. The limits of detection (S/N = 3) and quantification (S/N = 10) were 0.5 and 2 ng/mL, respectively. A reasonable relative recovery range of 90–96.7% and satisfactory intra‐assay (4.8–5.1%, n = 6) and interassay (5.0–5.6%, n = 9) precision along with a substantial sample clean‐up demonstrated good performance of the procedure. It was applied for the determination of atenolol in human plasma after oral administration and some pharmacokinetic data were obtained.     

Determination of musk fragrances in sewage sludge by pressurized liquid extraction coupled to automated ionic liquid‐based headspace single‐drop microextraction followed by GC‐MS/MS

A method for the quantitative determination of ten musk fragrances extensively used in personal care products from sewage sludge was developed by using a pressurized liquid extraction (PLE) followed by an automated ionic liquid‐based headspace single‐drop microextraction and gas chromatography‐tandem mass spectrometry. The influence of main factors on the efficiency of PLE was studied. For all musks, the highest recovery values were achieved using 1 g of pretreated sewage sludge, H₂O/methanol (1:1) as an extraction solvent, a temperature of 80°C, a pressure of 1500 psi, an extraction time of 5 min, 2 cycles, a 100% flush volume, a purge time of 120 s, and 1 g Florisil as in‐cell clean‐up extraction sorbent. The use and optimization of an in‐cell clean‐up sorbent was necessary to remove fatty interferents of the PLE extract that make the subsequent ionic liquid‐based headspace single‐drop microextraction difficult. Validation parameters, namely LODs and LOQs, ranged from 0.5–1.5 to 2.5–5 ng/g, respectively. Good levels of intra‐ and interday repeatabilities were obtained analyzing sewage sludge samples spiked at 10 ng/g (n = 3, RSDs < 10%). The method applicability was tested with sewage sludge from different wastewater treatment plants. The analysis revealed the presence of all the polycyclic musks studied at concentrations higher than the LOQs, ranging from 6 to 530 ng/g. However, the nitro musk concentrations were below the LOQs or, in the case of musk xylene, was not detected.     

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.     

Reversed‐phase single drop microextraction followed by high‐performance liquid chromatography with fluorescence detection for the quantification of synthetic phenolic antioxidants in edible oil samples

The reversed‐phase mode of single drop microextraction has been used as a preparation method for the extraction of some phenolic antioxidants from edible oil samples. Butylated hydroxyl anisole, tert‐butylhydroquinone and butylated hydroxytoluene were employed as target compounds for this study. High‐performance liquid chromatography followed by fluorescence detection was applied for final determination of target compounds. The most interesting feature of this study is the application of a disposable insulin syringe with some modification for microextraction procedure that efficiently improved the volume and stability of the solvent microdrop. Different parameters such as the type and volume of solvent, sample stirring rate, extraction temperature, and time were investigated and optimized. Analytical performances of the method were evaluated under optimized conditions. Under the optimal conditions, relative standard deviations were between 4.4 and 10.2%. Linear dynamic ranges were 20–10 000 to 2–1000 μg/g (depending on the analytes). Detection limits were 5–670 ng/g. Finally, the proposed method was successfully used for quantification of the antioxidants in some edible oil samples prepared from market. Relative recoveries were achieved from 88 to 111%. The proposed method had a simplicity of operation, low cost, and successful application for real samples.