Ionic liquids for improving the extraction of NSAIDs in water samples using dispersive liquid–liquid microextraction by high performance liquid chromatography-diode array–fluorescence detection

Green and efficient magnetic micro-solid phase extraction utilizing tea waste impregnated with magnetic nanoparticles for the analysis of ibuprofen in water samples by using UV-vis spectrophotometry

A green method based on magnetic micro-solid phase extraction (MNP-TW-μ-SPE) of tea waste impregnated with magnetic nanoparticles (MNP-TW) was developed for the extraction of ibuprofen (IBP) in water samples prior to UV-Vis spectrophotometric analysis. Experimenting parameters that affect the extraction efficiency of IBP, such as pH of the sample solution, sorbent dosage, extraction time, ionic strength, volume of the sample, type of desorption solvent, desorption time, and desorption volume, were studied and optimized in detail. The characterization studies for the MNP-TW were carried out by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray diffraction spectrometry (XRD), field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) analysis, a vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM), and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). Under the optimum conditions, the linearity ranges from 30 to 700 μg L-1 for IBP, with determination coefficients (R2) of 0.9983. The limit of detection (LOD) and limit of quantification (LOQ) were 9.40 μg L-1 and 28.50 μg L-1, respectively. The method also demonstrated good precision in reproducibility (RSD ≤ 1.53%), repeatability (RSD ≤ 1.48%), and recovery (86-115%). This method represents the advantages of low solvent consumption, flexibility, and better sensitivity compared to other studies employing spectrophotometric analysis. The usage of tea waste in the extraction process presents many advantages, as it is biodegradable, versatile, and contributes to an intelligent and sustainable economic strategy projected toward a circular economy approach.

Deep eutectic solvent-based ferrofluid for vortex-assisted liquid-liquid microextraction of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs from environmental waters

A novel ferrofluid of Fe3O4 nanoparticles and a deep eutectic solvent (DES) composed of menthol and pentanoic acid was introduced as a green microextraction medium. The ferrofluid was successfully used as an extractant for vortex-assisted liquid-liquid microextraction (VALLME) of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) in environmental waters prior to their determination by HPLC-DAD. Once the ferrofluid was dispersed in the sample by vortex agitation, phase separation could be easily achieved by placing a neodymium magnet next to the tube, which eliminated the centrifugation step and simplified the operational procedure. As a result, the sample pretreatment took only ≈2 min. The experimental parameters, including pH, nanoparticle amount, ferrofluid volume, vortex time, salt amount, and disruptive solvent type and its volume, were optimized stepwise. The method showed linear behavior for all NSAIDs from 5 to 100 μg/L, with limit of detection values and enrichment factors in the ranges of 1.68-2.05 μg/L and 38.9-50.6, respectively. Intra- and Inter-day accuracies obtained from the analysis of spiked river, lake, and tap water samples at low and high-quality control levels (20 and 80 μg/L) ranged from 90.3% to 108.0%, with relative standard deviations less than <12.3%. The results of this study demonstrate that the use of DES-based ferrofluid in VALLME can be considered a simple, environmentally friendly, and reliable alternative for the determination of NSAIDs in environmental waters.

Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) in the environment: Recent updates on the occurrence, fate, hazards and removal technologies

Non-steroidal Anti-inflammatory Drugs (NSAIDs) are extensively utilized pharmaceuticals worldwide. However, owing to the improper discharge and disposal practices, they have emerged as significant contaminants that are widely distributed in water, soils, and sewage sediments. This ubiquity poses a substantial threat to the ecosystem and human health. Consequently, it is imperative to develop rapid, cost-effective, efficient and reliable approaches for containing these substance in order to mitigate the deleterious impact of NSAIDs. This research provides a comprehensive review of the occurrence, fate, and hazards associated with NSAIDs in the general environment. Additionally, various removal technologies, including advanced oxidation processes, biodegradation, and adsorption, were systematically summarized. The study also presents a comparative analysis of the benefits and drawbacks of different removal technologies while interpreting challenges related to NSAIDs' removal and proposing strategies for future development.

Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) in the environment: Updates on pretreatment and determination methods

Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) are widely used in human and animal health care to reduce persistent inflammation, pain and fever because of their anti-inflammatory, analgesic and antipyretic effects. However, the improper discharge and disposal make it becomes a major contaminant in the environment, which poses a big threat to the ecosystem. For this reason, accurate, sensitive, effective, green, and economic techniques are urgently required and have been rapidly developed in recent years. This review summarizes the advancement of sample preparation technologies for NSAIDs involving solid-phase extraction, solid-phase microextraction, liquid-phase microextraction, QuEChERS, and matrix solid-phase dispersion. Meanwhile, we overview and compare analytical technologies for NSAIDs, including liquid chromatography-based methods, gas chromatography-based methods, capillary electrophoresis, and sensors, particularly the development of liquid chromatography-based methods. Furthermore, we focus on their progress and conduct a comparison between their advantages and disadvantages.

Eu3+ functionalized metal-organic framework for selective monitoring of emerging environmental pollutants non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs

Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), as a new water pollutant emerging in recent years, has potential hazards to the environment. The difficult degradation characteristics of NSAIDs lead to long-term accumulation in the natural environment, which will inevitably cause incalculable damage to human health. In this work, for practical application considerations, MIL-53(Al) type MOF [Al(OH)(TDC)]‧1.5H₂O‧0.7DMF (MIL-53-TDC, TDC = 2,5-thiophene dicarboxylic acid) with good water stability is selected as the sensing main body. The ligand TDC was chosen for two reasons: one is as an antenna ligand, which can sensitize Eu³⁺ ions to emit characteristic fluorescence; the other is as binding site that the sulfur atoms on the thiophene ring can introduce Eu³⁺ ions through coordination. Thus, Eu³⁺ functionalized MIL-53-TDC hybrid materials (Eu@MIL-53-TDC) were developed as a fluorescence sensor for the detection of two kinds of NSAIDs, S-ibuprofen (S-IBP) and diclofenac (DCF). The concentration range of S-IBP and DCF detected by the prepared sensors is 0.001-0.07 mM (LOD = 0.5 μM) and 0.0005-0.1 mM (LOD = 0.2 μM), respectively. Moreover, this sensor not only can achieve rapid (3 min) and sensitive analysis of these two NSAIDs but also has a satisfactory recovery for the detection of S-IBP and DCF in serum and tap water.

Evaluating ionic liquids for its potential as eco-friendly solvents for naproxen removal from water sources using COSMO-RS: Computational and experimental validation

An emerging contaminant of concern in aqueous streams is naproxen. Due to its poor solubility, non-biodegradability, and pharmaceutically active nature, the separation is challenging. Conventional solvents employed for naproxen are toxic and harmful. Ionic liquids (ILs) have attracted great attention as greener solubilizing and separating agent for various pharmaceuticals. ILs have found extensive usage as solvents in nanotechnological processes involving enzymatic reactions and whole cells. The employment of ILs can enhance the effectiveness and productivity of such bioprocesses. To avoid cumbersome experimental screening, in this study, conductor like screening model for real solvents (COSMO-RS) was used to screen ILs. Thirty anions and eight cations from various families were chosen. Activity coefficient at infinite dilution, capacity, selectivity, performance index, molecular interactions using σ-profiles and interaction energies were used to make predictions about solubility. According to the findings, quaternary ammonium cations, highly electronegative, and food-grade anions will form excellent ionic liquid combinations for solubilizing naproxen and hence will be better separating agents. This research will contribute easy designing of ionic liquid-based separation technologies for naproxen. In different separation technologies, ionic liquids can be employed as extractants, carriers, adsorbents, and absorbents.

Ionic Liquid-Based Green Emulsion Liquid Membrane for the Extraction of the Poorly Soluble Drug Ibuprofen

Ibuprofen (Ibf) is a biologically active drug (BADs) and an emerging contaminant of concern (CECs) in aqueous streams. Due to its adverse effects upon aquatic organisms and humans, the removal and recovery of Ibf are essential. Usually, conventional solvents are employed for the separation and recovery of ibuprofen. Due to environmental limitations, alternative green extracting agents need to be explored. Ionic liquids (ILs), emerging and greener alternatives, can also serve this purpose. It is essential to explore ILs that are effective for recovering ibuprofen, among millions of ILs. The conductor-like screening model for real solvents (COSMO-RS) is an efficient tool that can be used to screen ILs specifically for ibuprofen extraction. The main objective of this work was to identify the best IL for the extraction of ibuprofen. A total of 152 different cation-anion combinations consisting of eight aromatic and non-aromatic cations and nineteen anions were screened. The evaluation was based upon activity coefficients, capacity, and selectivity values. Furthermore, the effect of alkyl chain length was studied. The results suggest that quaternary ammonium (cation) and sulfate (anion) have better extraction ability for ibuprofen than the other combinations tested. An ionic liquid-based green emulsion liquid membrane (ILGELM) was developed using the selected ionic liquid as the extractant, sunflower oil as the diluent, Span 80 as the surfactant, and NaOH as the stripping agent. Experimental verification was carried out using the ILGELM. The experimental results indicated that the predicted COSMO-RS and the experimental results were in good agreement. The proposed IL-based GELM is highly effective for the removal and recovery of ibuprofen.

Vortex-assisted supramolecular solvent dispersive liquid–liquid microextraction of ketoprofen and naproxen from environmental water before chromatographic analysis: response surface methodology optimisation

A microextraction procedure that is rapid and simple to extract and preconcentrate ketoprofen and naproxen is proposed. An environmentally friendly supramolecular solvent was applied as an extraction solvent and proved to be efficient in the extraction of ketoprofen and naproxen from environmental water. The design of experiment approach was used to screen, optimize significant parameters, and determine optimum experimental conditions. Under optimized experimental conditions, the vortex-assisted supramolecular solvent dispersive liquid–liquid microextraction provided a good linearity (0.57–700 µg L−1), low limits of detection (0.17–0.24 µg L−1) and extraction reproducibility below 9%. The high percentage relative recoveries (93.6–101.4%) indicated that the method is not affected by matrix. The practical applicability of the method was assessed by analysing ketoprofen and naproxen in river water and effluent wastewater samples. Both analytes were found in effluent wastewater.

Simple Synthesis of Fe3O4@-Activated Carbon from Wastepaper for Dispersive Magnetic Solid-Phase Extraction of Non-Steroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs and Their UHPLC–PDA Determination in Human Plasma

In the present society, the recycling and reuse of valuable substances are of utmost importance for economic and environmental purposes. At the same time, there is a pressing need to develop new methods to protect the ecosystem from many human activities, including those that have contributed to an ever-increasing presence of pharmaceutical pollutants. In this study, a straightforward approach that applies a magnetic carbon composite for the effective removal of NSAIDs from biological fluids is reported. The composite was produced by recycling wasted handkerchiefs, to provide cellulose to the reactive system and then transformed into carbon via calcination at high temperature. The morphological and structural features of the prepared “Fe3O4@-activated carbon” samples were investigated via thermal analysis, X-ray diffraction, Raman spectroscopy, and scanning electron microscopy. Magnetic solid-state extraction was carried out to reveal the adsorption capabilities of the magnetic carbon composite and then combined with UHPLC–PDA for the determination and quantification of five NSAIDs (furprofen, indoprofen, ketoprofen, flurbiprofen, and indomethacin). The method developed herein proved to be fast and accurate. The adsorbent could be reused for up to 10 cycles, without any decrease in performance; thus, it contributes to an intelligent and sustainable economic strategy projected toward minimal waste generation.

Solid-phase extraction of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs in human plasma and water samples using sol-gel-based metal-organic framework coating

In this research, the Cu-based metal-organic framework (MOF-199) was fabricated and coated on the stainless steel mesh as substrates through sol-gel procedure. Then the coated substrates were placed in a small column known as solid-phase extraction cartridge. The SPE based coated stainless steel mesh coupled with high-performance liquid chromatography-UV detector (HPLC-UV) was used for the fast extraction, and quantification of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) from human plasma and water samples. To find optimum extraction conditions, the impacts of effective parameters on analytical performance like sample pH, sample volume, type, and volume of desorption solvent were optimized. At the optimized conditions, calibration graphs of analytes were linear in the concentration range of 0.03-300 ng mL^-1 for water samples, and 0.1-200 ng mL^-1 for plasma samples. The correlation coefficients were in the range of 0.9938 to 0.9989. Also, the limits of detection (LODs) were from 0.01 to 0.02 ng mL^-1 for water samples and 0.03 to 0.1 ng mL^-1 for plasma samples. The cartridge repeatability was studied at different values, and the relative standard deviations (RSDs%) were achieved between 3.5 and 5.1%. Consequently, this procedure was successfully used in the extraction and detection of NSAIDs in real water and plasma samples with relative recoveries ranged from 93.6 to 99.6%.

Novel aqueous biphasic system based on ionic liquid for the simultaneous extraction of seven active pharmaceutical ingredients in aquatic environment

Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs and antibiotics are classes of active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs), which are continuously contaminating the ecosystem through various anthropogenic activities. Because of their pseudo-persistence in the aquatic environment and their potentially chronic effects on aquatic life, it is important to closely monitor their concentrations in the aquatic environment using a sensitive analytical method. Sustainable aqueous biphasic systems (ABSs) composed of ionic liquids and biodegradable organic salt (sodium malate) were proposed. The phase diagrams of the systems were firstly determined, and [N₄₄₄₄]Cl-based ABS was selected for the simultaneous extraction and preconcentration of seven APIs. With the developed ABS, extraction efficiencies of APIs close to 100% were obtained. For the developed method, limits of detection (LODs) of 45, 65, 76, 14, 60, 48, and 51 ng L^-1 were obtained for indomethacin, ibuprofen, diclofenac, naproxen, ketoprofen, flurbiprofen, and chloramphenicol, respectively, providing from 1216- to 1238-fold improvement as compared with the analysis without preconcentration. From an economic and environmental point of view, we can predict the prospects and competitive position of the method developed.

Solidified floating organic drop microextraction (SFODME) for the simultaneous analysis of three non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs in aqueous samples by HPLC

In this work, a liquid-liquid microextraction methodology using solidified floating organic drop (SFODME) was combined with liquid chromatography and UV/Vis detection to determine non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) naproxen (NPX), diclofenac (DCF), and mefenamic acid (MFN) in tap water, surface water, and seawater samples. Parameters that can influence the efficiency of the process were evaluated, such as the type and volume of the extractor and dispersive solvents, effect of pH, agitation type, and ionic strength. The optimized method showed low detection limits (0.09 to 0.25 μg L^-1), satisfactory recovery rates (90 to 116%), and enrichment factors in the range between 149 and 199. SFODME showed simplicity, low cost, speed, and high concentration capacity of the analytes under study. Its use in real samples did not demonstrate a matrix effect that would compromise the effectiveness of the method, being possible to apply it successfully in water samples with different characteristics.

Fabrication of ZIF-71/Fe3O4/polythionine nanoarray-functionalized carbon cotton cloth for simultaneous extraction and quantitation of febuxostat and diclofenac

Synthesis of a material based on carbonized cotton cloth/zeolite imidazolate framework was applied to ultrasound-assisted dispersive magnetic solid-phase extraction and high-performance liquid chromatography-ultraviolet to detect diclofenac and febuxostat in human plasma.

Miniaturized analytical methods for determination of environmental contaminants of emerging concern - A review

The determination of contaminants of emerging concern (CECs) in environmental samples has become a challenging and critical issue. The present work focuses on miniaturized analytical strategies reported in the literature for the determination of CECs. The first part of the review provides brief overview of CECs whose monitoring in environmental samples is of particular significance, namely personal care products, pharmaceuticals, endocrine disruptors, UV-filters, newly registered pesticides, illicit drugs, disinfection by-products, surfactants, high technology rare earth elements, and engineered nanomaterials. Besides, an overview of downsized sample preparation approaches reported in the literature for the determination of CECs in environmental samples is provided. Particularly, analytical methodologies involving microextraction approaches used for the enrichment of CECs are discussed. Both solid phase- and liquid phase-based microextraction techniques are highlighted devoting special attention to recently reported approaches. Special emphasis is placed on newly developed materials used for extraction purposes in microextraction techniques. In addition, recent contributions involving miniaturized analytical flow techniques for the determination of CECs are discussed. Besides, the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats of point of need and portable devices have been identified and critically compared with chromatographic methods coupled to mass chromatography. Finally, challenging aspects regarding miniaturized analytical methods for determination of CECs are critically discussed.

The Influence of Ionic Liquids on the Effectiveness of Analytical Methods Used in the Monitoring of Human and Veterinary Pharmaceuticals in Biological and Environmental Samples-Trends and Perspectives

Recent years have seen the increased utilization of ionic liquids (ILs) in the development and optimization of analytical methods. Their unique and eco-friendly properties and the ability to modify their structure allows them to be useful both at the sample preparation stage and at the separation stage of the analytes. The use of ILs for the analysis of pharmaceuticals seems particularly interesting because of their systematic delivery to the environment. Nowadays, they are commonly detected in many countries at very low concentration levels. However, due to their specific physiological activity, pharmaceuticals are responsible for bioaccumulation and toxic effects in aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems as well as possibly upsetting the body's equilibrium, leading to the dangerous phenomenon of drug resistance. This review will provide a comprehensive summary of the use of ILs in various sample preparation procedures and separation methods for the determination of pharmaceuticals in environmental and biological matrices based on liquid-based chromatography (LC, SFC, TLC), gas chromatography (GC) and electromigration techniques (e.g., capillary electrophoresis (CE)). Moreover, the advantages and disadvantages of ILs, which can appear during extraction and separation, will be presented and attention will be given to the criteria to be followed during the selection of ILs for specific applications.

Application of Switchable Hydrophobicity Solvents for Extraction of Emerging Contaminants in Wastewater Samples

In the present work, the effectiveness of switchable hydrophobicity solvents (SHSs) as extraction solvent (N,N-Dimethylcyclohexylamine (DMCA), N,N-Diethylethanamine (TEA), and N,N-Benzyldimethylamine (DMBA)) for a variety of emerging pollutants was evaluated. Different pharmaceutical products (nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), hormones, and triclosan) were selected as target analytes, covering a range of hydrophobicity (LogP) of 3.1 to 5.2. The optimized procedure was used for the determination of the target pharmaceutical analytes in wastewater samples as model analytical problem. Absolute extraction recoveries were in the range of 51% to 103%. The presented method permits the determination of the target analytes at the low ng mL-1 level, ranging from 0.8 to 5.9 (except for Triclosan, 106 ng mL-1) with good precision (relative standard deviation lower than 6%) using high-pressure liquid chromatography (HPLC) combined with ultraviolet (DAD) and fluorescence (FLR) detection. The microextraction alternative resulted in a fast, simple, and green method for a wide variety of analytes in environmental water sample. The results suggest that this type of solvent turns out to be a great alternative for the determination of different analytes in relatively complex water samples.

Correlation analysis based on the hydropathy properties of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs in solid-phase extraction (SPE) and reversed-phase high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) with photodiode array detection and their applications to biological samples

In the present work we analyzed the hydrophobicity and hydrophilicity properties of several non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) by investigating the structural changes of the dynamic hydrogen bond network in order to predict the extraction recovery of NSAIDs from biological fluids set by solid phase extraction (SPE). This work allows investigating the relationship between theoretical descriptors and experimental data using a parameter free method with a strong correlation (Pearson correlation 0.95, p-value 0.0003). The identification and quantification of analytes in human plasma were carried out by high performance liquid chromatography coupled with photodiode array detection (HPLC-PDA) using a Kinetex Evo C₁₈ (150 x 4.6 mm I.D) protected by a guard column and a mixture of acetonitrile and 10 mM phosphate buffer (pH 2.5) (50:50, v/v) as mobile phase at isocratic conditions. Accuracy (BIAS%) ranged within -2.33% and + 8.05% while precision (RSD%) was less than 5.73%.The mean extraction recovery of the carprofen (IS) was 84.1% and the recovery of NSAIDs from human plasma ranged between 81.9% to 86.6%. LODs and LOQs for all the investigated NSAIDs were 0.003 and 0.01 μg/mL, respectively. The method was validated according to the ICH guide line in the range 0.010-20.0 μg/mL.

Green pre-concentration techniques during pesticide analysis in food samples

The ever-increasing demand for determining pesticides at low concentration levels in different food matrices requires a preliminary step of pre-concentration which is considered a crucial stage. Recently, the parameter of "greenness" during sample pre-concentration of pesticides in food matrices is as important as selectivity in order to avoid using harmful organic solvents during sample preparation. Developing new green pre-concentration techniques is one of the key subjects. Thus, to reduce the impact on the environment during trace analysis of pesticides in food matrices, new developments in pre-concentration have gone in three separate directions: the search for more environmentally friendly solvents, miniaturization and development of solvent-free pre-concentration techniques. Eco-friendly solvents such as supercritical fluids, ionic liquids and natural deep eutectic solvents have been developed for use as extraction solvents during pre-concentration of pesticides in food matrices. Also, miniaturized pre-concentration techniques such as QuEChERS, dispersive liquid-liquid micro-extraction and hollow-fiber liquid-phase micro-extraction have been used during trace analysis of pesticides in food samples as well as solvent-free techniques such as solid-phase micro-extraction and stir bar sorptive extraction. All these developments which are aimed at ensuring that pesticide pre-concentration in different food matrices is green are critically reviewed in this paper.

An Ionic Liquid-based Microextraction Method for Ultra-High Preconcentration of Paraquat Traces in Water Samples Prior to HPLC Determination

An ionic liquid (IL)-based microextraction method was developed for the preconcentration of paraquat traces in water samples prior to HPLC determination. On the basis of the relationship between the aqueous solubility and the extractability of known ILs, 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium bis(nonafluorobutanesulfonyl)amide ([EMIm][NNf₂]) was selected as the extractant for paraquat. The distribution ratio of paraquat dication in the [EMIm][NNf₂]/water biphasic system was theoretically estimated to be nearly 10⁸ at its maximum level, indicating that [EMIm][NNf₂] was suitable for the ultra-high preconcentration (a maximum of 10⁶-fold concentration) of paraquat with a quantitative recovery (more than 99%). The extraction procedure could be performed easily and quickly following the in situ solvent formation microextraction technique, and the paraquat traces in the IL phase could be determined by hydrophilic interaction chromatography with good detection limits and linearity ranges (0.16 and 1 - 50 ng mL^-1 for paraquat, respectively). The combined method was successfully applied to four real environmental water samples spiked with paraquat and its analog, diquat at 5.0 ng mL^-1.

Magnetic polyethyleneimine functionalized reduced graphene oxide as a novel magnetic sorbent for the separation of polar non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs in waters

A novel magnetic polyethyleneimine modified reduced graphene oxide (Fe₃O₄@PEI-RGO) had been prepared and then was successfully employed to extract three polar non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) in different water matrices for the first time coupled with high performance liquid chromatography-diode array detector (HPLC-DAD). The magnetic polyethyleneimine (Fe₃O₄@PEI) composite was first synthesized via one-pot hydrothermal approach and then the Fe₃O₄@PEI-RGO composite was fabricated on the basis of a simple self-assemble approach between positive charged Fe₃O₄@PEI and negative charged GO sheets via electrostatic interaction followed by chemical reduction of GO to RGO. The as-prepared Fe₃O₄@PEI-RGO composite was carefully characterized by transmission electron microscopy (TEM), Fourier transform infrared spectrometry (FT-IR), X-ray diffraction (XRD), thermal gravimetric analyzer (TGA), vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM) and zeta potential analysis. As a surface modifier of RGO, PEI not just changed the polarity of RGO to some extent but also offered more adsorption sites to polar NSAIDs. Compared with Fe₃O₄@PEI, Fe₃O₄-RGO and Fe₃O₄@PEI-GO, the as-prepared Fe₃O₄@PEI-RGO composite, which combined the advantage of PEI and RGO, showed higher extraction efficiency for polar NSAIDs. In addition, the adsorption mechanism was also studied. The analytical parameters influencing the extraction efficiency were optimized in detail. A satisfactory performance was obtained under the optimal conditions. The calibration lines were linear over the concentration in the range of 1-800 μg L^-1 for all the analytes with determination coefficients (r²) varying from 0.9972 to 0.9986. The limits of detection (LODs) were 0.2 μg L^-1. The recoveries were between 91.20% and 101.13% with relative standard deviations (RSDs) in the range of 1.09-7.34%. Overall, a fast, convenient, sensitive and eco-friendly method was successfully proposed and became a promising approach for the determination of trace polar NSAIDs in complex matrices.

Fabrication of calixarene-grafted bio-polymeric magnetic composites for magnetic solid phase extraction of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs in water samples

Calixarene framework functionalized bio-polymeric magnetic composites (MSp-TDI-calix) were synthesized and utilized as magnetic solid-phase extraction (MSPE) sorbent for the extraction of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), namely indoprofen (INP), ketoprofen (KTP), ibuprofen (IBP) and fenoprofen (FNP), from environmental water samples. MSp-TDI-calix was characterized by FT-IR, XRD, FESEM, EDX, VSM and BET analysis, and the results were compared with Sp-TDI and Sp-TDI-calix. To maximize the extraction performance of MSp-TDI-calix decisive MSPE affective parameters such as sorbent amount, extraction time, sample volume, type of organic eluent, volume of organic eluent, desorption time and pH were comprehensively optimized prior to HPLC-DAD determination. The analytical validity of the proposed MSPE method was evaluated under optimized conditions and the following figures of merit were acquired: linearity with good determination coefficient (R² ≥ 0.991) over the concentration range of 0.5–500 µg/L, limits of detection (LODs) ranged from 0.06–0.26 µg/L and limits of quantitation (LOQ) between 0.20–0.89 µg/L. Excellent reproducibility and repeatability under harsh environment with inter-day and intra-day relative standard deviations were obtained in the range of 2.5–3.2% and 2.4–3.9% respectively. The proposed method was successfully applied for analysis of NSAIDs in tap water, drinking water and river water with recovery efficiency ranging from 88.1–115.8% with %RSD of 1.6–4.6%.

Application of liquid-liquid microextraction for the effective separation and simultaneous determination of 11 pharmaceuticals in wastewater samples using high-performance liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry

A dispersive liquid-liquid microextraction method for the simultaneous determination of 11 pharmaceuticals has been developed. The method is based on a microextraction procedure applied to wastewater samples from different regions of Hungary followed by high-performance liquid chromatography with mass spectrometry. The effect of the nature of the extractant, dispersive solvent, different additives, and extraction time were examined on the extraction efficiently of the dispersive liquid-liquid microextraction method. Under optimal conditions, the linearity for determining the pharmaceuticals was in the range of 1-500 ng/mL, with the correlation coefficients ranging from 0.9922 to 0.9995. The limits of detection and limits of quantification were in the range of 0.31-6.65 and 0.93-22.18 ng/mL, respectively.

Ionic-Liquid-Mediated Extraction and Separation Processes for Bioactive Compounds: Past, Present, and Future Trends

Ionic liquids (ILs) have been proposed as promising media for the extraction and separation of bioactive compounds from the most diverse origins. This critical review offers a compilation on the main results achieved by the use of ionic-liquid-based processes in the extraction and separation/purification of a large range of bioactive compounds (including small organic extractable compounds from biomass, lipids, and other hydrophobic compounds, proteins, amino acids, nucleic acids, and pharmaceuticals). ILs have been studied as solvents, cosolvents, cosurfactants, electrolytes, and adjuvants, as well as used in the creation of IL-supported materials for separation purposes. The IL-based processes hitherto reported, such as IL-based solid-liquid extractions, IL-based liquid-liquid extractions, IL-modified materials, and IL-based crystallization approaches, are here reviewed and compared in terms of extraction and separation performance. The key accomplishments and future challenges to the field are discussed, with particular emphasis on the major lacunas found within the IL community dedicated to separation processes and by suggesting some steps to overcome the current limitations.