Identification of the nitroaromatic explosives in post-blast samples by online solid phase extraction using molecularly imprinted silica sorbent coupled with reversed-phase chromatography

In a previous work, a molecularly imprinted silica (MIS) sorbent was synthesized for the selective extraction of nitroaromatic explosives from real samples. This MIS packed in a cartridge was used for an off-line solid phase extraction procedure mainly based on hydrophobic and π–π interactions. In this work, the MIS was packed in a precolumn to be connected online with a reversed-phase LC system and a diode array detector. For this, the chromatographic conditions were first studied to obtain the separation of 1,3-dinitrobenzene, 1,3,5-trinitrobenzene, 2,4-dinitrotoluene, 2,6-dinitrotoluene, 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene, and tetryl. An optimized procedure dedicated to the selective treatment of aqueous samples was then developed with the MIS for the simultaneous extraction of the nitroaromatic compounds commonly used as explosives. Finally, the four nitrotoluenes were selectively extracted and determined simultaneously with extraction recoveries higher than 90 % using the online device composed of the MIS coupled with a diphenyl chromatographic column. The potential of this sorbent was highlighted by its use for the cleanup of simulated post-blast samples.