Determination of triazine herbicides in milk by cloud point extraction and high-performance liquid chromatography

Off-line in-tube solid-phase microextraction of some herbicides based on poly(styrene-divinylbenzene) coated Fe3O4 nanoparticles

Triazines are a class of persistent micropollutants in environmental areas with high toxicity. Because of their general usage and poisonous and stability of their deteriorated products, extraction and determination trace amounts of triazines are important. Off-line in-tube solid phase microextraction efficiently used for extraction of trace amounts of analytes. In addition, magnetic field was used to keep the nanoparticles in the tube and also to enhance preconcentration of the analytes. Magnetic nanoparticles can be utilized as a reusable sorbent with high surface area, strong interaction, chemical stability and high selectivity. A novel approach was introduced using a magnetic nanocomposite of cross-linked poly(styrene-divinylbenzene) for the in-tube solid-phase microextraction of triazine herbicides. The prepared material was characterized using various techniques. High performance liquid chromatography-ultraviolet detection was used to separate and determine the analytes. The effects of pH (6), extraction time (20 min), type and volume of elution solvent (500 µL methanol) and extraction flow rate (2 mL min-1), desorption flow rate (50 µL min-1) and salt addition (15%) and applying magnetic field on the extraction efficiency of the triazines were investigated. Under optimum conditions, calibration curves were found to be linear in the range of 0.3-500 µg L-1 for cyanazine, simazine, and propazine with a coefficient of determination (R2) of 0.9951, 0.9984, and 0.9984, respectively. The LODs were 0.1 µg L-1 for all of the analytes. The method was successfully used for the extraction and determination of triazine herbicides in fruit juice samples. Magnetic nano particles illustrate minimum back pressure in tube due to elimination of filters, high surface-to-volume ratio and lot of active sites favorable for the adsorption of the analytes. Despite the limitations imposed by the chemical conditions of extraction on the application of nanoparticles and polymeric sorbents, variables such as pH, concentration, and surface charges do not influence the magnetic interactions of MNPs. By applying magnetic field, the magnetic nature of the analytes is effective on the preconcentration of them.

A Rhodamine-and-Naphthalimide Based Dual-chromophore for Fast and Sensitive Detection of Nerve-agent Mimic and Real Nerve Agents

For the sake of public safety and citizen health, the development of efficient and portable detection devices to nerve agents is critical. In this investigation, a naphthalimide-rhodamine based dual-chromophore, RNI-P, was synthesized and applied to detect nerve-agent mimic diethyl chlorophosphate (DCP) and real nerve agents. The probe exhibits inherently weak fluorescence due to the PET processes from both piperazine and rhodamine units to the naphthalimide unit. It shows rapid fluorescence enhancement to DCP in aqueous solution, demonstrating exceptional sensitivity and selectivity. Furthermore, the probe-inked paper strip can also rapidly respond to DCP vapor when integrated into a lab-made portable sensing platform. The detection limit to DCP vapor can be as low as 130 ppb. Most notably, the probe is capable of quickly and effectively detecting real nerve agents such as sarin and soman in aqueous solution, highlighting its significant potential for practical use. The turn-on responses are attributed to the prohibition of PET processes through protonation of the probe. This study reveals that not only the usual nucleophilic groups but also a second fluorophore can cause effective PET process to the core chromophore and empowers the probe with strong potential for efficient detection of nerve agents.

A Highly Selective Analytical Method Based on Salt-Assisted Liquid-Liquid Extraction for Trace-Level Enrichment of Multiclass Pesticide Residues in Cow Milk for Quantitative Liquid Chromatographic Analysis

In this study, a simple, inexpensive, selective, and fast salting-out assisted liquid-liquid extraction (SALLE) technique coupled with high-pressure liquid chromatography-diode array detection (HPLC-DAD) was developed for the extraction, preconcentration, and analysis of trace level seven multiclass pesticide residues in pasteurized and raw cow milk samples. The significant factors that affect the extent to which the target analytes are extracted, such as the type of extraction solvent and its volume, the type and concentration of salting-out salts, the pH of the solution, and the extraction time, have been investigated. Under optimum conditions, the correlation coefficient (r2) was obtained within a range of 0.9982-0.9997 for a broad linear range concentration of 2-1500 ng·mL-1. Reliable sensitivity was achieved with limits of detection (LODs) and limits of quantification (LOQs) ranging from 0.58-2.56 ng·mL-1 and 1.95-8.51 ng·mL-1, respectively. While precision with interday and intraday in terms of relative standard deviations (RSDs) was observed in the range of 1.97 - 7.88% and 4.52 - 8.04%, respectively. The results of the precision studies reveal that good repeatability and reproducibility (RSDs <9) were achieved, thus showing a low variability extraction of the developed method. Finally, the proposed and validated approach was effectively used to extract and determine pesticide residues in real milk matrices; however, the target analytes were not detected in all samples.

Ionic Liquid Modified Porous Polymer as a Dispersive Filter Extraction Adsorbent for Simple, Sensitive, and Efficient Determination of Chlorotriazine Herbicides in Irrigation Water

Triazine herbicides (TRZHs) are widely used in agricultural production, but their improper use can threaten the environment and organisms. Herein, rapid extraction of four chlorotriazine herbicides (Cl-TRZHs) in irrigation water was achieved using an ionic liquid modified porous m-aminophenol formaldehyde resin (IL-MAPFR) as a dispersive filter extraction (DFE) adsorbent. The IL-MAPFR shows excellent adsorption performance for four Cl-TRZHs (simazine, cyanazine, atrazine, and terbuthylazine), with a large specific surface area (158.1 m² g^-1) and fast mass transfer (2 min). The adsorption process conforms to the pseudo-second-order kinetics and Freundlich isotherm models. The four Cl-TRZHs were concentrated 12-16-fold after the IL-MAPFR-DFE method. Coupled with high-performance liquid chromatography, an accurate and sensitive determination method for four Cl-TRZHs in irrigation water was established, with low detection limit (0.11-0.20 ng mL^-1), high recoveries (91.5-110%), and excellent precision (relative standard deviations (RSDs) ≤ 8.4%). This method provides technical support for agricultural irrigation water quality monitoring and has great application potential in water safety, especially pesticide residues.

Online Solid-Phase Extraction of Prometon and Prometryne Using MIL-101(Cr) as Sorbent before Gas Chromatographic Analysis: A Computational and Experimental Study and Comparison between Splitless and PTV Inlets

In this study, prometryne and prometon were extracted and preconcentrated from aqueous media using an online solid-phase extraction-thermal desorption method coupled with gas chromatography-flame ionization detector (GC-FID), equipped with two different inlets: split and programmable temperature vaporizer (PTV). For this purpose, the applicability of Tenax and a metal-organic framework were investigated as solid-phase sorbents. Several effective parameters on the extraction efficiency, such as the amount of sorbent, sample volume, sample pH and thermal desorption procedure were optimized. The analytical performance of the proposed methods showed an excellent linear dynamic range for prometon and prometryne (0.25-100 μg/L) and relative standard deviation less than 4.01%. Moreover, the detection limits below 0.20 and 0.35 μg/L were determined for prometon and prometryne, respectively. Additionally, molecular docking was applied to clarify the adsorption nature and binding energy of MIL-101(Cr) toward the studied analytes, which indicated an appropriate correlation between computational and experimental results. Finally, the proposed method was developed and validated for prometon and prometryne and successfully applied for their extraction from agricultural water, spiked with prometon and prometryne through its direct introduction into the GC inlet.

Organic-Molecule-Based Fluorescent Chemosensor for Nerve Agents and Organophosphorus Pesticides

Organophosphorus (OP) compounds are typically a broad class of compounds that possess various uses such as insecticides, pesticides, etc. One of the most evil utilizations of these compounds is as chemical warfare agents, which pose a greater threat than biological weapons because of their ease of access. OP compounds are highly toxic compounds that cause irreversible inhibition of enzyme acetylcholinesterase, which is essential for hydrolysis of neurotransmitter acetylcholine, leading to series of neurological disorders and even death. Due to the extensive use of these organophosphorus compounds in agriculture, there is an increase in the environmental burden of these toxic chemicals, with severe environmental consequences. Hence, the rapid and sensitive, selective, real-time detection of OP compounds is very much required in terms of environmental protection, health, and survival. Several techniques have been developed over a few decades to easily detect them, but still, numerous challenges and problems remain to be solved. Major advancement has been observed in the development of sensors using the spectroscopic technique over recent years because of the advantages offered over other techniques, which we focus on in the presented review.

Cloud point extraction coupled with back extraction: a green methodology in analytical chemistry

Recently, cloud point extraction (CPE) coupled with back extraction (BE) has been suggested as a promising alternative to liquid-liquid extraction. In CPE, non-ionic surfactants in aqueous solutions form micelles and the solution becomes turbid when heated to the cloud point temperature. Microwave- or ultrasonic-assisted BE can be performed after CPE and before injection of the sample for instrumental analysis by ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy, high-performance liquid chromatography, gas chromatography, gas chromatography-mass spectrometry, or liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry. This article reviews selected published scientific research on the application of CPE-BE to the determination of alkaloids, drugs and organophosphorus compounds from several complex matrices. This method could be scaled-up for use in forensic science.

An ionic liquid-magnetic graphene composite for magnet dispersive solid-phase extraction of triazine herbicides in surface water followed by high performance liquid chromatography

A new ionic liquid-magnetic graphene (IL-MG) composite was used as the adsorbent in magnetic dispersive solid-phase extraction to rapidly extract and isolate triazine herbicides from surface water. IL-MG was synthesized by a simple and time-saving one-pot strategy where the synthesis of magnetic Fe₃O₄, the modification with an IL, and the reduction of graphene oxide to graphene were conducted at the same time. An IL was applied to enrich the interaction mechanism between IL-MG and analytes (π-π, hydrophobic interaction, and electrostatic interaction). Moreover, the IL and Fe₃O₄ nanoparticles acted as spacers, inserting between the layers of graphene to prevent the aggregation of graphene, which improved the adsorption ability because of the large specific surface area of IL-MG. The resultant IL-MG had hierarchical flake structures and showed a high adsorption capacity (8266.0-12 324.1 μg g^-1) toward triazine herbicides. Under suitable conditions, the linearity for triazine herbicides was achieved in the range of 0.55-500 ng mL^-1 with a detection limit of 0.09-0.15 ng mL^-1 and a quantitation limit of 0.31-0.51 ng mL^-1, and the enrichment factor was 83-fold, which indicated that the proposed method could be successfully applied for the determination of triazine herbicides in surface water.

Determination of carcinogenic herbicides in milk samples using green non-ionic silicone surfactant of cloud point extraction and spectrophotometry

A new cloud point methodology was successfully used for the extraction of carcinogenic pesticides in milk samples as a prior step to their determination by spectrophotometry. In this work, non-ionic silicone surfactant, also known as 3-(3-hydroxypropyl-heptatrimethylxyloxane), was chosen as a green extraction solvent because of its structure and properties. The effect of different parameters, such as the type of surfactant, concentration and volume of surfactant, pH, salt, temperature, incubation time and water content on the cloud point extraction of carcinogenic pesticides such as atrazine and propazine, was studied in detail and a set of optimum conditions was established. A good correlation coefficient (R² ) in the range of 0.991-0.997 for all calibration curves was obtained. The limit of detection was 1.06 µg l^-1 (atrazine) and 1.22 µg l^-1 (propazine), and the limit of quantitation was 3.54 µg l^-1 (atrazine) and 4.07 µg l^-1 (propazine). Satisfactory recoveries in the range of 81-108% were determined in milk samples at 5 and 1000 µg l^-1, respectively, with low relative standard deviation, n = 3 of 0.301-7.45% in milk matrices. The proposed method is very convenient, rapid, cost-effective and environmentally friendly for food analysis.

Ametryn removal by Metarhizium brunneum: Biodegradation pathway proposal and metabolic background revealed

Ametryn is a representative of a class of s-triazine herbicides absorbed by plant roots and leaves and characterized as a photosynthesis inhibitor. It is still in use in some countries in the farming of pineapples, soybean, corn, cotton, sugar cane or bananas; however, due to the adverse effects of s-triazine herbicides on living organisms use of these pesticides in the European Union has been banned. In the current study, we characterized the biodegradation of ametryn (100 mg L^-1) by entomopathogenic fungal cosmopolite Metarhizium brunneum. Ametryn significantly inhibited the growth and glucose uptake in fungal cultures. The concentration of the xenobiotic drops to 87.75 mg L^-1 at the end of culturing and the biodegradation process leads to formation of four metabolites: 2-hydroxy atrazine, ethyl hydroxylated ametryn, S-demethylated ametryn and deethylametryn. Inhibited growth is reflected in the metabolomics data, where significant differences in concentrations of L-proline, gamma-aminobutyric acid, L-glutamine, 4-hydroxyproline, L-glutamic acid, ornithine and L-arginine were observed in the presence of the xenobiotic when compared to control cultures. The metabolomics data demonstrated that the presence of ametryn in the fungal culture induced oxidative stress and serious disruptions of the carbon and nitrogen metabolism. Our results provide deeper insights into the microorganism strategy for xenobiotic biodegradation which may result in future enhancements to ametryn removal by the tested strain.

Effect of different operating conditions in cloud point assisted extraction of thymol from Ajwain (Trachyspermum Ammi L.) seeds and recovery using solvent

Cloud point assisted extraction of thymol from water extract of Ajwain (Trachyspermum Ammi L.) seeds has been reported. Effects of different operating conditions, i.e., concentration of surfactant, heating time and temperature in extraction efficiency were investigated. It was observed that maximum extraction efficiency of thymol was achieved with 30% (v/v) of SPAN 80 surfactant, 45 min of heating at 65 °C. Recovery of thymol from the surfactant complex was optimal at 1:3 coacervate phase to solvent (acetone) volume ratio. A semi-empirical correlation was proposed at the optimum time to predict the concentration of surfactant and temperature required for a desired yield.

Determination of photoinitiator 4-methylbenzophenone in milk by cloud point extraction

An efficient and easy sample pretreatment methodology was proposed for the detection of photoinitiator 4-methylbenzophenone from milk before high-performance liquid chromatography. Appropriate conditions for demulsification were studied. The parameters affecting cloud point extraction, such as concentration of Tween-20, electrolyte salt, equilibration temperature, and time, have been investigated. When the spiked level was 200-1000 μg/kg, the average addition standard recovery was 99.14-105.98% with the optimum cloud point extraction conditions (concentration of Tween-20, 138 g/L; mass of anhydrous sodium sulfate, 0.75 g; equilibration temperature, 65°C; equilibration time, 30 min). To decrease the detection limits, further work about the organic solvent, shaking time, and ultrasonic parameters was carried. When the spiked level was 10-100 μg/kg, the average addition standard recovery was 70.40-106.91% with the optimum cloud point extraction and enrichment conditions (optimum cloud point extraction conditions; volume of cyclohexane, 30 mL; shaking time, 20 min; time of ultrasonic, 20 min; temperature of ultrasonic bath, 45°C).

Novel solid-phase membrane tip extraction and gas chromatography with mass spectrometry methods for the rapid analysis of triazine herbicides in real waters

Novel, fast, selective, eco-friendly and reproducible solid-phase membrane tip extraction and gas chromatography with mass spectrometry methods were developed and validated for the analysis of triazine herbicides (atrazine and secbumeton) in stream and lake waters. The retention times of atrazine and secbumeton were 7.48 and 8.51 min. The solid-phase membrane tip extraction was carried out in semiautomated dynamic mode on multiwall carbon nanotubes enclosed in a cone-shaped polypropylene membrane cartridge. Acetone and methanol were found as the best preconditioning and desorption solvents, respectively. The extraction and desorption times for these herbicides were 15.0 and 10.0 min, respectively. The percentage recoveries of atrazine and secbumeton were 88.0 and 99.0%. The linearity range was 0.50-80.0 μg/L (r(2) > 0.994), with detection limits (<0.47 μg/L, S/N = 3) and good reproducibility (<8.0%). The ease of operation, eco-friendly nature, and low cost of solid-phase membrane tip extraction made these methods novel. The Solid-phase membrane tip extraction method was optimized by considering the effect of extraction time, desorbing solvents and time.

Analysis of potential migrants from plastic materials in milk by liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry with liquid-liquid extraction and low-temperature purification

A simple and fast analytical method was developed for the determination of six UV stabilizers (Cyasorb UV-1164, Tinuvin P, Tinuvin 234, Tinuvin 326, Tinuvin 327, and Tinuvin 1577) and five antioxidants (Irgafos 168, Irganox 1010, Irganox 3114, Irganox 3790, and Irganox 565) in milk. For sample preparation liquid-liquid extraction with low-temperature purification combined with centrifugation was used to remove fats, proteins, and sugars. After the cleanup step, the sample was analyzed with high-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS). External standard and matrix calibrations were tested. External calibration proved to be acceptable for Tinuvin P, Tinuvin 234, Tinuvin 326, Tinuvin 327, Irganox 3114, and Irganox 3790. The method was successfully validated with matrix calibration for all compounds. Method detection limits were between 0.25 and 10 μg/kg. Accuracies ranged from 93 to 109%, and intraday precisions were <13%.

Microwave-assisted preparation of poly(ionic liquids)-modified magnetic nanoparticles for pesticide extraction

Novel poly(ionic liquids) were synthesized and immobilized on prepared magnetic nanoparticles, which were used to extract pesticides from fruit and vegetable samples by dispersive solid-phase extraction prior to high-performance liquid chromatography analysis. Compared with monomeric ionic liquids, poly(ionic liquids) have a larger effective contact area and higher viscosity, so they can achieve higher extraction efficiency and be used repeatedly without a decrease in analyte recovery. The immobilized poly(ionic liquids) were rapidly separated from the sample matrix, providing a simple approach for sample pretreatment. The nature and volume of the desorption solvent and amount of poly(ionic liquid)-modified magnetic material were optimized for the extraction process. Under optimum conditions, calibration curves were linear (R(2) > 0.9988) for pesticide concentrations in the range of 0.100-10.000 μg/L. The relative standard deviations for repeated determinations of the four analytes were 2.29-3.31%. The limits of detection and quantification were 0.29-0.88 and 0.97-2.93 μg/L, respectively. Our results demonstrate that the developed poly(ionic liquid)-modified material is an effective absorbent to extract pesticides from fruit and vegetable samples.