Comparison of Air-Assisted,Vortex-Assisted and Ultrasound-Assisted Dispersive Liquid–Liquid Microextraction for the Determination of BTEX Compounds in Water Samples Prior to GC-FID Analysis

Three new dispersive liquid–liquid microextraction (DLLME) methods, air-assisted (AA-DLLME), vortex-assisted (VA-DLLME) and ultrasound-assisted (UA-DLLME), were compared from the point of view of their analytical application for preconcentration of trace amounts of benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene and xylene isomers (BTEX) in water samples. In all of these methods, no dispersive solvent is required and dispersion of extractant is carried out by air bubbles, vortex and ultrasound for AA-DLLEM, VA-DLLME, and UA-DLLME, respectively. Advantages and disadvantages of these three liquid phase microextraction methods and their capability in dispersion of a similar extractant phase in sample solutions were comprehensively compared. All other extraction parameters, which have an influence on the microextraction, were also investigated and optimized. Under optimized conditions, analytical figures of merit for the three techniques were determined and compared. It was found that the limit of detection of the three methods is almost the same, while AA-DLLME has a wider linear dynamic range and the shortest analysis time. Enrichment factors of 182, 45 and 245 were achieved for AA-DLLEM, VA-DLLME, and UA-DLLME, respectively.     

Solution algorithms for a class of continuous linear programs with fuzzy valued objective functions

This paper discusses a class of continuous linear programs with fuzzy valued objective functions. A member of this class is called a fuzzy separated continuous linear program (FSCLP). Such problems have applications in a number of domains, including, production and inventory systems, communication networks, and pipeline systems for transportation. The discretization approach is used to construct two ordinary fuzzy linear programming problems, which give a lower and an upper bound on the optimal value of FSCLP. It is then shown how to construct an improved feasible solution for FSCLP starting from a nonoptimal one. This leads to the development of a class of algorithms based on a sequence of discrete approximations to FSCLP. Numerical examples in the context of continuous-time networks are presented to show the applicability of the proposed method.     

One-step in-syringe dispersive liquid–liquid microextraction and GC-FID determination of trace amounts of di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate and its metabolite in human urine samples

Di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP) is used as plasticizer in polyvinylchloride (PVC) plastics. Its metabolites and the parent phthalates are considered toxic. As the DEHP plasticizers are not chemically bound to PVC, they can migrate, evaporate or be leached into indoor air and atmosphere, foodstuff, and other materials. We have reported a novel, easy and available analytical method for the determination of DEHP and its metabolite, mono(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (MEHP) in human urine samples by the in-syringe dispersive liquid–liquid microextraction method coupled with gas chromatography with flame ionization detector. The limits of detection and precision (RSD) were 2.5 μg/L and 1.4% for DEHP and 1.1 μg/L and 3.0% for MEHP, respectively. This method could be utilized for routine monitoring of the trace DEHP and MEHP in urine of human exposure to plasticizers.     

Determination of methylcyclopentadienyl-manganese tricarbonyl in gasoline and water via ionic-liquid headspace single drop microextraction and electrothermal atomic absorption spectrometry

Microchimica Acta - We report on a rapid and effective method for the determination of methylcyclopentadienyl-manganese tricarbonyl (MMT) in water and gasoline samples. It is based on single drop...     

Headspace liquid phase microextraction for quantitation of hexanal in potato crisps by gas chromatography

A simple and rapid method using headspace liquid-phase microextraction (HS-LPME) was developed for the determination of hexanal at low levels in potato crisp samples. Parameters such as extraction solvent, agitation of the sample, salt addition, organic drop volume, exposure time, and extraction time were controlled and optimised. The developed protocol was found to yield a linear calibration curve in the concentration range from 0.001 to 2 mg/L and a limit of detection of 0.1 microg/L with a good enrichment factor of > 107 for the analyte. The repeatability of the method was satisfactory (4%). The results demonstrate that HS-LPME is a rapid, accurate, and effective preparation method and could be successfully used for the determination of hexanal in potato crisp samples.     

A Mild,Simple, Efficient,and Selective Protection of Hydroxyl Groups Using Silica-Supported Sodium Hydrogen Sulfate as a Heterogeneous Catalyst

A mild, simple, novel, and highly efficient method for the rapid protection of various primary, secondary, tertiary aliphatic alcohols, aromatic alcohols, and oximes using hexamethyldisilazane (HMDS) in the presence of silica-supported sodium hydrogen sulfate (NaHSO ₄ -SiO ₂ ), as an active, inexpensive, nontoxic, heterogeneous, and readily available catalyst under ambient conditions is described. Timethylsilyl ethers were prepared in high to excellent yields, with short reaction times under mild and almost neutral reaction conditions at room temperature.