Analysis of estrogens in water by magnetic octadecylsilane particles extraction and sweeping micellar electrokinetic chromatography

Hydrophilic-interaction-based magnetically assisted matrix solid-phase dispersion extraction of carbadox and olaquindox in feeds

BACKGROUND

Carbadox and olaquindox have been banned from feeds since 1998 by the EU because of their mutagenic, photoallergic, and carcinogenic effects. Unfortunately, owing to their outstanding effect, they are frequently abused or misused in animal husbandry. There is an urgent need to develop a sensitive and reliable method for monitoring these drugs in animal feeds.

RESULTS

This work reported a new method of hydrophilic-interaction-based magnetically assisted matrix solid-phase dispersion (MMSPD) extraction coupled with reversed-phase liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry for simultaneous determination of carbadox and olaquindox in animal feeds. 3-Trimethoxysilylpropyl methacrylate (γ-MAPS)-modified attapulgite (ATP) was crosslinked with γ-MAPS-modified iron(II,III) oxide (Fe₃ O₄ ), 1-vinyl-3-(butyl-4-sulfonate) imidazolium (VBSIm), acrylamide (AM), and N,N'-methylene-bis(acrylamide) (MBA) to synthesize ATP@Fe₃ O₄ @poly(VBSIm-AM-MBA) particles. The resultant particles were characterized by scanning electron microscopy, energy dispersive spectrometer, transmission electron microscopy, vibrating sample magnetometer, and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. Crosslinking of ATP into the magnetic particles has significantly increased the adsorption capacity of the particles. Under optimum conditions, the limits of detection (S/N = 3) were 0.3 μg kg^-1 and 0.9 μg kg^-1 for carbadox and olaquindox respectively. The intra-day and inter-day recoveries of the spiked targets in feed samples were in the range 83.5-98.3% with relative standard deviations of 1.0-8.3%.

CONCLUSION

With a simplified procedure and a low amount of sample, the proposed hydrophilic-interaction-based MMSPD method is not only useful for the determination of carbadox and olaquindox in feeds but also holds great promise for the analysis of other polar targets in solid or semisolid matrices. © 2021 Society of Chemical Industry.

Reproductive drugs and environmental contamination: quantum, impact assessment and control strategies

Industrial and municipal solid wastes, noise, pesticides, fertilizers and vehicular emission are visible pollutants responsible for environmental contamination and ill-effects on health of all living systems. But, environmental contamination due to drugs or medicines used for different purposes in humans and animals goes unseen largely and can affect the health of living system severely. During the last few decades, the usage of drugs has increased drastically, resulting in increased drug load in soil and water. Contraceptive and fertility drugs are extensively and effectively used in humans as well as animals for different purposes. Usage of these reproductive drugs in humans is increased manifold to manage reproductive problems and/or for birth control with changing lifestyles. These drugs are excreted in urine and faeces as metabolite or conjugated forms, leading to contamination of water, milk and animal produce, which are consumed directly by humans as well as animals. These drugs are not eliminated even by water treatment plant. Consumption of such contaminated water, milk, meat and poultry products results in reproductive disorders such as fertility loss in men and increase risk of different types of cancers in humans. Therefore, assessment of impact of environmental contamination by these drugs on living system is of paramount importance. The purpose of this review article is to provide a comprehensive analysis of various research and review reports on different contraceptive and fertility drugs used in human and animals, their occurrence in the environment and their ill-effects on living systems. The approaches to control this invisible menace have also been proposed.

Fast determination of 24 steroid hormones in river water using magnetic dispersive solid phase extraction followed by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry

The easiness-to-handle of the magnetic dispersive solid phase extraction (Mag-dSPE) procedure was developed for preconcentration of 24 steroid hormones in river water. Ethylenediamine-functionalized magnetic carbon nanotubes (EDA@Mag-CNTs) were synthesised by a simple one-pot reaction and were used as sorbent in Mag-dSPE procedure. The properties of the EDA@Mag-CNTs were characterized by transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM). An ultra-fast liquid chromatography-tandem quadrupole mass spectrometry (UFLC-MS/MS) method for determination of 24 steroid hormones in river water at nanograms per liter had been developed with pretreatment of the samples by Mag-dSPE. The obtained results demonstrated the higher extraction capacity of EDA@Mag-CNT Mag-dSPE with recoveries between 82.1 and 113%. The limits of quantification (LOQs) for the steroid hormone were between 0.020 and 1.00 ng/L. The developed method had been successfully applied to 60 river water samples, and it was confirmed that EDA@Mag-CNT Mag-dSPE was a highly effective extraction method for the steroid hormone analyses.

A magnetically recyclable Fe3O4@SiO2/Mn(iii) chiral salen complex as a highly selective and versatile heterogeneous nanocatalyst for the oxidation of olefins and sulfides

An efficient system for the selective oxidation of alkenes using TBHP and sulfides using aqueous 30% H₂O₂ catalyzed by a new magnetically recoverable Mn(iii) salen complex with high selectivity and excellent yields was developed.

Application of functionalized magnetic nanoparticles in sample preparation

Functionalized magnetic nanoparticles have attracted much attention in sample preparation because of their excellent performance compared with traditional sample-preparation sorbents. In this review, we describe the application of magnetic nanoparticles functionalized with silica, octadecylsilane, carbon-based material, surfactants, and polymers as adsorbents for separation and preconcentration of analytes from a variety of matrices. Magnetic solid-phase extraction (MSPE) techniques, mainly reported in the last five years, are presented and discussed.

Pyridine-2,6-diamine-functionalized Fe₃O₄ nanoparticles as a novel sorbent for determination of lead and cadmium ions in cosmetic samples

A novel sorbent based on pyridine-2,6-diamine-functionalized Fe(3)O(4) nanoparticles was developed and characterized by X-ray powder diffraction (XRD), elemental analysis, IR spectroscopy and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The application of the sorbent was investigated for pre-concentration and determination of lead and cadmium ions in aqueous samples. Effects of various factors such as the sample pH, eluent parameters (type, concentration and volume) and time (adsorption and desorption) were appraised. The effects of several interfering ions on method recovery were also investigated. The limit of detection (LOD) was found to be 1.3 and 0.089 μg L(-1) for lead and cadmium ions, respectively. Recovery and precision (RSD%) of the method were above 97.9% and below 0.6%, respectively. Validation of the outlined method was performed by analysing several certified reference materials. This method was successfully used for determination of lead and cadmium ions in several cosmetic samples, which are usually contaminated by lead and cadmium ions.

Biocompatible phosphatidylcholine bilayer coated on magnetic nanoparticles and their application in the extraction of several polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons from environmental water and milk samples

In this work, phosphatidylcholine (PC) was coated on magnetic nanoparticles to form lipid bilayer as solid-phase extraction (SPE) sorbents for the enrichment of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) from environmental water and milk samples. The lipid bilayer was coated on Fe(3)O(4) nanoparticles using a modified dry lipid film hydration method. The resulted Fe(3)O(4)/PC could be readily isolated from solution with a magnet, and exhibited excellent adsorption performance to organic pollutants. Only 0.1g of sorbents was enough to extract PAHs from 500 mL aqueous solution, and 6 mL of acetonitrile was required to desorb them. The method was fast and relied on 10 min extraction time and 5 min magnetic separation. The proposed method was successfully applied to determine PAHs in some environmental water and milk samples. The detection limit was in the range of 0.2-0.6 ng L(-1). The recoveries of the spiked water samples ranged from 89% to 115% with relative standard deviations (RSD) varying from 1% to 8%. For spiked milk samples, RSD was satisfactory (1-9%), but the recoveries were relatively low (42-62%). We show the potentials of Fe(3)O(4)/PC sorbents in environmental water and biological sample analyses.

Chitosan functionalized magnetic particle-assisted detection of genetically modified soybeans based on polymerase chain reaction and capillary electrophoresis

The high quality of DNA template is one of the key factors to ensure the successful execution of polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Therefore, development of DNA extraction methods is very important. In this work, chitosan modified magnetic particles (MPs) were synthesized and employed for extraction of genomic DNA from genetically modified (GM) soybeans. The extraction protocol used aqueous buffers for DNA binding to and releasing from the surface of the MPs based on the pH inducing the charge switch of amino groups in chitosan modified MPs. The extracted DNA was pure enough (A(260)/A(280)=1.85) to be directly used as templates for PCR amplification. In addition, the PCR products were separated by capillary electrophoresis for screening of GM organisms. The developed DNA extraction method using chitosan modified MPs was capable of preparation of DNA templates, which were PCR inhibitor free and ready for downstream analysis. The whole process for DNA extraction and detection was preferable to conventional methods (phenol-chloroform extraction, PCR, and gel electrophoresis) due to its simplicity and rapidity as well as its avoiding the use of toxic reagents and PCR inhibitors.

Rapid magnetic solid phase extraction with in situ derivatization of methylmercury in seawater by Fe3O4/polyaniline nanoparticle

A new Fe(3)O(4)/polyaniline nanoparticle (PANI) material has been successfully developed as magnetic solid-phase extraction sorbent in dispersion mode for the determination of methylmercury (MeHg) in aqueous samples, via quantification by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC-MS). The resultant core-shell magnetic solid-phase extraction nanoparticle (MSPE-NP) sorbent was characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive X-ray spectrometry (EDS) and Fourier transform-infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy. Fe(3)O(4)/PANI composites showed fibrous structure with diameters between 50 and 100 nm for fibers. The MSPE-NP process involved the dispersion of the Fe(3)O(4)/PANI nanoparticles in water samples with sonication, followed by magnetic aided retrieval of the sorbent and then, solvent (hexane) desorption of extracted MeHg for GC-MS analysis. The extraction, derivatization and adsorption conditions were optimized by selecting the appropriate extraction parameters including the amount of sorbent, extraction time, derivatizing reagent volume and extraction solvent. The calibration graph was linear in the concentration range of 0.5-300 ng mL(-1) (R(2)>0.993) with detection limit of 0.1 ng mL(-1) (n=3), while the repeatability was 4.1% (n=5). Enrichment factor was obtained as 91. Seawater sample was analyzed as real sample and good recoveries (>98%) were obtained at different spiked values.

In-line extraction employing functionalized magnetic particles for capillary and microchip electrophoresis

An approach to performing in-line extraction employing functionalized magnetic particles for CE and microchip electrophoresis is presented. Silica-coated iron oxide particles were synthesized and used as the solid support. The particles were functionalized with octadecylsilane and used as reverse-phase sorbents for in-line SPE followed by electrophoresis. Magnets were used to locally immobilize these sorbents inside the capillary or microchip. Extraction, elution, and detection of the analytes were performed sequentially without interruption or need for sample handling. Mixtures of hydrophobic analytes were successfully extracted from solution using the synthesized magnetic sorbents. CE was able to extract and separate mixture of parabens within 10 min. In-line extraction was also carried out on a disposable PMMA microfluidic device with LIF detection. Electrophoretic separation of fluorescent dyes, Rhodamine 110 and SulfoRhodamine B, was completed in under a minute. The results demonstrated the feasibility of performing the in-line extraction/separation technique in a microchip platform enabling rapid analysis, low sorbent consumption, and increased analyte recovery (relative to the capillary format).

Preparation of carbon coated Fe3O4 nanoparticles and their application for solid-phase extraction of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons from environmental water samples

The carbon coated Fe(3)O(4) nanoparticles (Fe(3)O(4)/C) were synthesized by a simple hydrothermal reaction and applied as solid-phase extraction (SPE) sorbents to extract trace polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) from environmental water samples. The Fe(3)O(4)/C sorbents possess high adsorption capacity and extraction efficiency due to strong adsorption ability of carbon materials and large surface area of nanoparticles, and only 50 mg of sorbents are required to extract PAHs from 1000 mL water samples. The adsorption attains equilibrium rapidly and analytes are eluted with acetonitrile readily. Salinity and solution pH have no obvious effect on the recoveries of PAHs, which avoids fussy adjustment to water sample before extraction. Under optimized conditions, the detection limits of PAHs are in the range of 0.2-0.6 ng L(-1). The accuracy of the method was evaluated by the recoveries of spiked samples. Good recoveries (76-110%) with low relative standard deviations from 0.8% to 9.7% are achieved. This new SPE method provides several advantages, such as high extraction efficiency, high breakthrough volumes, convenient extraction procedure, and short analysis times. To our knowledge, this is the first time that Fe(3)O(4)/C nanoparticles are used for the pretreatment of environmental water samples.

Advanced CE for chiral analysis of drugs, metabolites, and biomarkers in biological samples

An analysis of recent trends indicates that CE can show real advantages over chromatographic methods in ultratrace enantioselective determination of biologically active compounds in complex biological matrices. It is due to high separation efficiency and many applicable in-capillary electromigration effects in CE (countercurrent migration, stacking effects) enhancing significantly (enantio)separability and enabling effective sample preparation (preconcentration, purification, analyte derivatization). Other possible on-line combinations of CE, such as column coupled CE-CE techniques and implementation of nonelectrophoretic techniques (extraction, membrane filtration, flow injection) into CE, offer additional approaches for highly effective sample preparation and separation. CE matured to a highly flexible and compatible technique enabling its hyphenation with powerful detection systems allowing extremely sensitive detection (e.g. LIF) and/or structural characterization of analytes (e.g. MS). Within the last decade, more as well as less conventional analytical on-line approaches have been effectively utilized in this field and their practical potentialities are demonstrated on many new application examples in this article. Here, three basic areas of (enantioselective) drug bioanalysis are highlighted and supported by a brief theoretical description of each individual approach in a compact review structure (to create integrated view on the topic), including (i) progressive enantioseparation approaches and new enantioselective agents, (ii) in-capillary sample preparation (preconcentration, purification, derivatization), and (iii) detection possibilities related to enhanced sensitivity and structural characterization.