Recent advances in coupling single-drop and dispersive liquid–liquid microextraction with UV–vis spectrophotometry and related detection techniques

Enhancing peroxidase-like activity of AuNPs through headspace reaction: A signal amplification strategy for colorimetric and fluorescent sensing of trace Hg2

BACKGROUND

Recently, headspace single-drop microextraction (HS-SDME) has attracted some attention for developing sensitive and selective colorimetric assays due to its excellent capability to reduce matrix interference and enrich analytes. However, the single droplet limits direct visual observation of color change and its quantitative measurement suffers from reduced optical path length. Therefore, amplifying the detection signals in both volume and intensity is an important and challenging task for improving the sensitivity, stability, and accuracy of such colorimetric analysis.

RESULTS

In this study, a "headspace-nanoenzyme" (HS-NE) strategy was proposed that successfully addressed these challenges and enabled the colorimetric and fluorescent dual-mode detection of trace Hg2+. Atomic Hg0, generated via chemical vapor generation (CVG), underwent headspace reaction with AuNPs droplet to form Au@HgNPs, thus catalyzing the oxidation of o-phenylenediamine (OPD) in the presence of H2O2. The absorbance and fluorescence intensity of oxidized OPD were proportion to the concentration of Hg2+ in the sample solution. Due to the greatly enhanced peroxidase-like activity by Au@HgNPs, the limit of detection was as low as 0.98 nM and 0.21 nM for the colorimetric and fluorescent modes, respectively. The applicability of this assay was further demonstrated with determination of Hg2+ in real environmental and biological samples. Moreover, a convenient and cost-effective paper-based sensing platform was fabricated for rapid on-site detection of Hg2+.

SIGNIFICANCE AND NOVELTY

This novel HS-NE strategy combines HS-SDME and nanoenzyme-based sensing to achieve dual effects of eliminating matrix interference and amplifying the measurement signal, resulting in improved accuracy, enhanced stability, high sensitivity, and exceptional selectivity, with great potential for on-site determination of trace Hg2+.

Highlighting the Importance of Characterization Techniques Employed in Adsorption Using Metal-Organic Frameworks for Water Treatment

The accumulation of toxic heavy metal ions continues to be a global concern due to their adverse effects on the health of human beings and animals. Adsorption technology has always been a preferred method for the removal of these pollutants from wastewater due to its cost-effectiveness and simplicity. Hence, the development of highly efficient adsorbents as a result of the advent of novel materials with interesting structural properties remains to be the ultimate objective to improve the adsorption efficiencies of this method. As such, advanced materials such as metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) that are highly porous crystalline materials have been explored as potential adsorbents for capturing metal ions. However, due to their diverse structures and tuneable surface functionalities, there is a need to find efficient characterization techniques to study their atomic arrangements for a better understanding of their adsorption capabilities on heavy metal ions. Moreover, the existence of various species of heavy metal ions and their ability to form complexes have triggered the need to qualitatively and quantitatively determine their concentrations in the environment. Hence, it is crucial to employ techniques that can provide insight into the structural arrangements in MOF composites as well as their possible interactions with heavy metal ions, to achieve high removal efficiency and adsorption capacities. Thus, this work provides an extensive review and discussion of various techniques such as X-ray diffraction, Brunauer-Emmett-Teller theory, scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy coupled with energy dispersive spectroscopy, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy employed for the characterization of MOF composites before and after their interaction with toxic metal ions. The review further looks into the analytical methods (i.e., inductively coupled plasma mass spectroscopy, ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy, and atomic absorption spectroscopy) used for the quantification of heavy metal ions present in wastewater treatment.

In-vessel headspace liquid-phase microextraction

A new mode of headspace liquid-phase microextraction termed in-vessel headspace liquid-phase microextraction (IV-HS-LPME) has been developed. A plastic vessel was used as a holder for an extraction phase. Problems with drop stability, limitations in the stirring speed, and too little volume of the acceptor phase have been completely eliminated. The proposed approach is fully compatible with ordinary instruments and microcuvettes used in spectrophotometry. The potential of the method was evaluated by determining the iodide concentration in various samples. Iodide in the donor phase was converted to volatile I₂ by oxidation with 1 mmol L^-1 K₂Cr₂O₇. The reaction mixture was agitated on a magnetic stirrer for 30 min at a stirring speed of 1200 rpm. A 1% (w/v) aqueous solution of KI was used as the acceptor phase. The absorbance of the I₃^- ion formed in the acceptor phase was measured in a 50 μL microcuvette at 350 nm. For the case of extraction from 10 mL donor solution into 50 μL of acceptor phase, the calibration graph is linear in the range of 20-400 μg L^-1 (as I^-) with a detection limit of 6 μg L^-1. The developed method has a high precision comparable to conventional spectrophotometric methods (0.6-1.5%). The extraction efficiency obtained in the optimal conditions was 10.5%. The distribution constants for equilibria between the donor solution and the headspace and between the headspace and the acceptor solution are 0.8 ± 0.1 and 16 ± 2, respectively. The developed method was successfully applied to determine the iodine content in natural waters, medicines and algae.

Optimization of green and rapid analytical procedure for the extraction of patulin in fruit juice and dried fruit samples by air-assisted natural deep eutectic solvent-based solidified homogeneous liquid phase microextraction using experimental design and computational chemistry approach

In this paper, a green and inexpensive air-assisted natural deep eutectic solvent-based solidified homogeneous liquid phase microextraction procedure was optimized for extraction of patulin in fruit juice and dried fruit samples using experimental design prior to its spectrophotometric determination. Four different natural deep eutectic solvent were prepared and applied to ensure efficient, and selective extraction of patulin. The significant variables including Zn(II) amount, cooling time, pH and amount of natural deep eutectic solvent were optimized by using central composite design. Under optimized conditions, working range was 10-750 μg L^-1 with 0.9996 of correlation coefficient. Detection limit and preconcentration factor were 3.5 μg L^-1 and 150, respectively. The repeatability and reproducibility precision were in the range of 3.2-4.6% and 4.3-5.6% respectively. Recoveries ranging from 94% to 104% proved the accuracy of the method. The optimized method was successfully applied to the extraction and identification of patulin in the selected samples.

Optimized Vortex-Assisted Dispersive Liquid–Liquid Microextraction Coupled with Spectrofluorimetry for Determination of Aspirin in Human Urine: Response Surface Methodology

Background:

A Vortex-assisted dispersive liquid-liquid microextraction (VA-DLLME) method is presented for the determination of aspirin (acetylsalicylic acid) in human urine by spectrofluorimetry.

Objective:

To determine trace levels of aspirin in biologic samples by using green and low-cost method development.

Methods:

For the microextraction procedure, chloroform and acetonitrile were used as extraction and disperser solvent, respectively. The factors affecting the efficiency of extraction such as volume of chloroform, volumes of acetonitrile, ionic strength, sample pH, centrifuging time, and extraction time were investigated. Then significant variables were optimized by the response surface method using the Box- Behnken design.

Results:

Under the optimum extraction conditions, a linear calibration curve in the range of 0.1 to 130 ng mL-1 with a correlation coefficient of R2 = 0.998 was obtained. The limits of detection (LOD) and limits of quantification (LOQ) were 0.031 and 0.103 ng mL-1, respectively. The relative standard deviations (RSD) were less than 4%.

Conclusion:

Enrichment factor and recoveries were achieved for the extraction of aspirin in human urine. This method gives a rapid, simple, sensitive and environmentally friendly for the measurement of trace amount aspirin.

Vortex-assisted deep eutectic solvent reversed-phase liquid-liquid microextraction of triazine herbicides in edible vegetable oils

In this study, four triazine herbicides-namely, simazine, ametryn, prometryn and terbuthylazine-were separated and determined using high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with ultraviolet detector (HPLC-UVD). The deep eutectic solvent (DES) formed by tetrabutylammonium chloride ([N₄₄₄₄]Cl, TBA) and ethylene glycol (EG) was selected as the extraction solvent of vortex-assisted reversed-phase liquid-liquid microextraction (VA-RPLLME). The application of the hydrophilic DES expands the range of choice for LLME. The experimental parameters affecting the extraction recoveries, including the amount of the DES, the sample volume and the vortex time, were investigated and optimized by the design of experiments (DoE) methodology. A quadratic model, namely central composite face-centered (CCF) design featuring 20 runs was used instead of the conventional trial and error approach. Under optimum conditions, the limits of determination (LODs) of the method were 0.60-1.50 μg L^-1. The enrichment factors for the analytes ranged from 27 to 31. The extraction recoveries were in the range of 84.1-104.9%, and the intra-day, inter-day and intermediate relative standard deviations (RSDs) were less than 8.4%. Finally, the method was applied for the determination of triazine herbicides in vegetable oil samples. The obtained recoveries were in the range of 60.1-107.2% and RSDs were lower than 8.1%. In general, VA-RPLLME can be complementary to the present available methods for the determination of triazine herbicides in vegetable oil samples.

Influence of relevant parameters on the extraction efficiency and the stability of the microdrop in the single drop microextraction

Single drop microextraction technique uses microamounts of organic solvents. Simplicity, low cost, low environmental impact, compatibility with chromatographic systems as well as its applicability to different matrices are main advantages of single drop microextraction. This technique has become frequently used for the extraction of a broad scope of compounds for numerous analytical applications. This review provides an overview of the existing single drop microextraction modes of realisation and the main scope is devoted to the optimization of parameters influencing the efficiency. The state of the art is discussed on the basis of examples selected from representative application areas. Extraction parameters for toxic organic compounds extraction and microdrop stability were evaluated.

Optimization of process parameters for determination of trace Hazardous dyes from industrial wastewaters based on nanostructures materials under ultrasound energy

In this study, ultrasound-assisted dispersive solid phase micro-extraction based on nanosorbent namely silver-zinc oxide nanoparticles loaded on activated carbon (Ag-ZnO-NP-AC) combined with derivative spectrophotometry method for the simultaneous pre-concentration and determination of Methyl Green (MG) and Rose Bengal (RB) dyes in water and industrial wastewater. Characterized sorbent by field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX), particle-size distribution (PSD), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray powder diffraction (XRD) and Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) analysis with superior adsorption capacity was applied in ultrasound assisted dispersive-solid-phase micro-extraction (UA-DSPME) methodology. pH, sorbent mass, ultrasonication time, and eluent volume influence and contribution on response correspond to simultaneous pre-concentration and determination of MG and RB were optimized by response surface methodology (RSM) and results were compared with the experimental values. Under the optimal conditions (UA-DSPME), the enrichment factors (EFs) were 93.89 and 97.33 for the MG and RB dyes, respectively. The limits of detection were 2.14 and 2.73ngmL^-1 and the limit of quantification were 7.15 and 9.09ngmL^-1 for MG and RB, respectively. The analytes can be determined over 10-2000ngmL^-1 with recoveries between 90.8% to 97.7% and RSDs less than 3.6%. The developed method due to simplicity and rapidity is able successful for repeatable and accurate monitoring of under study analytes from complicated matrices.

A two-in-one device for online monitoring of direct immersion single-drop microextraction: an optical probe as both microdrop holder and measuring cell

For the first time an optical probe is proposed as the microdrop holder and simultaneously the measuring cell in a direct immersion single-drop microextraction (DI-SDME) procedure.

New trends in sample preparation techniques for environmental analysis

Environmental samples include a wide variety of complex matrices, with low concentrations of analytes and presence of several interferences. Sample preparation is a critical step and the main source of uncertainties in the analysis of environmental samples, and it is usually laborious, high cost, time consuming, and polluting. In this context, there is increasing interest in developing faster, cost-effective, and environmentally friendly sample preparation techniques. Recently, new methods have been developed and optimized in order to miniaturize extraction steps, to reduce solvent consumption or become solventless, and to automate systems. This review attempts to present an overview of the fundamentals, procedure, and application of the most recently developed sample preparation techniques for the extraction, cleanup, and concentration of organic pollutants from environmental samples. These techniques include: solid phase microextraction, on-line solid phase extraction, microextraction by packed sorbent, dispersive liquid-liquid microextraction, and QuEChERS (Quick, Easy, Cheap, Effective, Rugged and Safe).

Latest approaches on green chemistry preconcentration methods for trace metal determination in seawater--a review

Evaluation of trace metal levels in seawater samples is undertaken regularly by research groups all over the world, leading to a growing demand for techniques involving fewer toxic reagents, less time-consuming protocols and lower limits of detection. This review focuses on providing a brief but concise description of the latest methodologies developed to this end, outlining the advantages and disadvantages of the various protocols, chelating and dispersive agents and instruments used. Conclusions are drawn on the basis of the articles reviewed, highlighting improvements introduced in order to enhance the performance of the protocols.

Simple and fast method for iron determination in white and red wines using dispersive liquid-liquid microextraction and ultraviolet-visible spectrophotometry

This work reports the development of a method for Fe extraction in white and red wines using dispersive liquid-liquid microextraction (DLLME) and determination by ultraviolet-visible spectrophotometry. For optimization of the DLLME method, the following parameters were evaluated: type and volume of dispersive (1300 μL of acetonitrile) and extraction (80 μL of C(2)Cl(4)) solvents, pH (3.0), concentration of ammonium pyrrolidinedithiocarbamate (APDC, 500 μL of 1% m/v APDC solution), NaCl concentration (not added), and extraction time. The calibration curve was performed using the analyte addition method, and the limit of detection and relative standard deviation were 0.2 mg L(-1) and below 7%, respectively. The accuracy was evaluated by comparison of results obtained after Fe determination by graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometry, with agreement ranging from 94 to 105%. The proposed method was applied for Fe determination in white and red wines with concentrations ranging from 1.3 to 4.7 mg L(-1).

Speciation analysis of mercury in water samples by dispersive liquid-liquid microextraction coupled to capillary electrophoresis

In this study, a method of pretreatment and speciation analysis of mercury by dispersive liquid-liquid microextraction along with CE was developed. The method was based on the fact that mercury species including methylmercury (MeHg), ethylmercury (EtHg), phenylmercury (PhHg), and Hg(II) were complexed with 1-(2-pyridylazo)-2-naphthol to form hydrophobic chelates and l-cysteine could displace 1-(2-pyridylazo)-2-naphthol to form hydrophilic chelates with the four mercury species. Factors affecting complex formation and extraction efficiency, such as pH value, type, and volume of extractive solvent and disperser solvent, concentration of the chelating agent, ultrasonic time, and buffer solution were investigated. Under the optimal conditions, the enrichment factors were 102, 118, 547, and 46, and the LODs were 1.79, 1.62, 0.23, and 1.50 μg/L for MeHg, EtHg, PhHg, and Hg(II), respectively. Method precisions (RSD, n = 5) were in the range of 0.29-0.54% for migration time, and 3.08-7.80% for peak area. Satisfactory recoveries ranging from 82.38 to 98.76% were obtained with seawater, lake, and tap water samples spiked at three concentration levels, respectively, with RSD (n = 5) of 1.98-7.18%. This method was demonstrated to be simple, convenient, rapid, cost-effective, and environmentally benign, and could be used as an ideal alternative to existing methods for analyzing trace residues of mercury species in water samples.

Application of rapid cloud point extraction method for trace cobalt analysis coupled with spectrophotometric determination

In this work, the analytical performance of conventional spectrophotometer was improved through the coupling of effective preconcentration method with spectrophotometric determination. Rapidly synergistic cloud point extraction (RS-CPE) was used to pre-concentrate ultra trace cobalt and firstly coupled with spectrophotometric determination. The developed coupling was simple, rapid and efficient. The factors influencing RS-CPE and spectrophotometer were optimized. Under the optimal conditions, the limit of detection (LOD) was 0.6μgL(-1), with sensitivity enhancement factor of 23. The relative standard deviation (RSD) for seven replicate measurements of 50μgL(-1) of cobalt was 4.3%. The recoveries for the spiked samples were in the acceptable range of 93.8-105%.