Synthesis and application of magnetic deep eutectic solvents: Novel solvents for ultrasound assisted liquid-liquid microextraction of thiophene

Trioctylphosphine oxide-based hydrophobic magnetic deep eutectic solvent as a novel extractant for the enrichment of primary aromatic amines from juice and environmental water

In this study, a novel technique utilizing vortex-assisted dispersive liquid-liquid microextraction with magnetic deep eutectic solvents (MDESs) was established and coupled with HPLC-UV to analyze six primary aromatic amines (PAAs). A novel hydrophobic MDES prepared from trioctylphosphine oxide, octanol, and CoCl2 was used as the extractant, which could be dispersed uniformly during extraction, then floated onto the sample surface and re-aggregated into a single drop spontaneously after the extraction. The variables influencing the efficiency of the extraction process were investigated. When performing under the optimal extraction conditions, this method exhibited excellent linearity, low limits of detection (0.2-0.9 ng mL-1), and high precision (RSD ≤ 8.3 %). The enrichment factors ranged from 56 to 182. Satisfactory recoveries in the range of 91.6-109.2 % with RSDs < 7.1 % were obtained from three apple juices and three environmental water samples. The greenness and practicality of the developed method were assessed by AGREE, AGREEprep, and blue applicability grade index metric tools. Overall, the established procedure demonstrated its simplicity, speediness, environmental friendliness, and effectiveness in analyzing PAAs from aqueous matrices.

Oxidative desulfurization of fuels using alcohol-based DESs

The presence of sulfur-containing compounds in fuel oil has become a major global issue due to their release of toxic sulfur dioxide. Hydrodesulfurization is a commonly used method for removing sulfur from fuel. However, new desulfurization techniques have been developed recently as hydrodesulfurization (HDS) is ineffective in removing refractory sulfur, e.g., BT, DBT, 4-MDBT. In this study, a series of deep eutectic solvent (DES) using ChCl, salicylic acid, oxalic acid, citric acid, and adipic acid as hydrogen bond acceptors and MeOH, EtOH, BuOH, EG, DEG, and TEG as hydrogen bond donors on different mole ratios were synthesized and then investigated the efficiency of these DESs in extracting sulfur from model and diesel fuel. Densities, viscosity, refractive index, and FTIR spectra of synthesized DESs were recorded. It also included oxidative desulfurization, which is a promising approach offering high selectivity, mild reaction conditions, low cost, and high efficiency. Hydrogen peroxide was selected as the oxidant in this study due to its excellent performance, commercial availability, and high proportion of active oxygen. [Citric acid: TEG] [1:7] and [adipic acid: TEG] [1:8] were found to be the most effective, removing up to 44.07% and 42.53% sulfur from model oil during single-stage extraction at 30 °C using a solvent-to-feed ratio of 1.0 and was increased to 86.87% and 85.06% using successive extraction up to the fourth stage. On oxidation, extraction efficiencies were reported to be 98.98%, 87.79%, and 56.25% and 96.96%, 81.22%, and 44.51% for model oil containing DBT and diesel 1 and diesel 2 with DES [citric acid: TEG] [1:7] and [adipic acid: TEG] [1:8] respectively at 30 °C using a solvent-to-feed ratio of 1.0. The study found that [citric acid: TEG] [1:7] exhibits better extraction performance in the deep desulfurization of fuels at an extraction temperature of 30 °C.

Magnetic Ionic Liquids: Current Achievements and Future Perspectives with a Focus on Computational Approaches

Magnetic ionic liquids (MILs) stand out as a remarkable subclass of ionic liquids (ILs), combining the desirable features of traditional ILs with the unique ability to respond to external magnetic fields. The incorporation of paramagnetic species into their structures endows them with additional attractive features, including thermochromic behavior and luminescence. These exceptional properties position MILs as highly promising materials for diverse applications, such as gas capture, DNA extractions, and sensing technologies. The present Review synthesizes key experimental findings, offering insights into the structural, thermal, magnetic, and optical properties across various MIL families. Special emphasis is placed on unraveling the influence of different paramagnetic species on MILs' behavior and functionality. Additionally, the Review highlights recent advancements in computational approaches applied to MIL research. By leveraging molecular dynamics (MD) simulations and density functional theory (DFT) calculations, these computational techniques have provided invaluable insights into the underlying mechanisms governing MILs' behavior, facilitating accurate property predictions. In conclusion, this Review provides a comprehensive overview of the current state of research on MILs, showcasing their special properties and potential applications while highlighting the indispensable role of computational methods in unraveling the complexities of these intriguing materials. The Review concludes with a forward-looking perspective on the future directions of research in the field of magnetic ionic liquids.

Deep eutectic solvents in sample preparation and determination methods of pesticides: Recent advances and future prospects

This review summarizes recent advances of deep eutectic solvents (DESs) in sample preparation and determination methods of pesticides in food, environmental, and biological matrices since 2019. Emphasis is placed on new DES categories and emerging microextraction techniques. The former incorporate hydrophobic deep eutectic solvents, magnetic deep eutectic solvents, and responsive switchable deep eutectic solvents, while the latter mainly include dispersive liquid-liquid microextraction, liquid-liquid microextraction based on in-situ formation/decomposition of DESs, single drop microextraction, hollow fiber-liquid phase microextraction, and solid-phase microextraction. The principles, applications, advantages, and limitations of these microextraction techniques are presented. Besides, the use of DESs in chromatographic separation, electrochemical biosensors, fluorescent sensors, and surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy are discussed. This review is expected to provide a valuable reference for extracting and detecting pesticides or other hazardous contaminants in the future.

Surfactant-enhanced air-agitation liquid-liquid microextraction of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons from edible oil using magnetic deep eutectic solvent prior to HPLC determination

Herein, an air-agitation liquid-liquid microextraction procedure was developed for the extraction of several polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons from edible oil samples. In this study, the extraction procedure was achieved using a new magnetic deep eutectic solvent as the extraction solvent, in which there was no need for centrifugation. To enhance the rate of extraction of the analytes from the samples, the method was promoted by the use of surfactant addition. The extracted analytes were determined by high-performance liquid chromatography with a diode array detector. The influence of various parameters on the extraction efficiency was studied by response surface methodology using a central composite design. Under optimal conditions, linear calibration curves for the target analytes were achieved in the range of 0.43-250 ng g-1. The limits of detection and quantification were in the ranges of 0.04-0.13 and 0.13-0.43 ng g-1, respectively. The repeatability of the method in terms of intra- and inter-day precision was ≤4.7% and ≤6.7%, respectively. The extraction recovery of the method ranged from 75 to 88%. The obtained results show that the proposed method is efficient for the analysis of the target analytes in various oil samples without obvious matrix effects. Pyrene was found in olive oil at a concentration of 42 ng g-1.

Magnetic deep eutectic solvent-based dispersive liquid-liquid microextraction for determination of strobilurin fungicides in water, juice, and vinegar by high-performance liquid chromatography

In this study, a magnetic deep eutectic solvent coupled with dispersive liquid-liquid microextraction using high-performance liquid chromatography (MDES-DLLME-HPLC) was developed to detect strobilurin fungicides. The green hydrophobic MDES synthesized by methyltrioctylammonium chloride, ferric chloride, and heptanoic acid was used as an extraction solvent, which was dispersed by vortex and separated by an external magnetic field. The use of toxic solvents was avoided, and the separation time was reduced. The best experimental results were obtained through single factor and response surface optimization. The method had a good linear relationship with R² > 0.996. The limit of detection (LOD) ranged from 0.001 to 0.002 mg L^-1. The extraction recoveries were 81.9-108.9%. The proposed method was rapid and green, and it has been successfully applied to detection of strobilurin fungicides in water, juice, and vinegar.

Optimization of vortex-assisted hydrophobic magnetic deep eutectic solvent-based dispersive liquid phase microextraction for quantification of niclosamide in real samples

In this manuscript, a green and fast vortex-assisted hydrophobic magnetic deep eutectic solvent-based dispersive liquid phase microextraction (VA-HMDES-DLPME) method was developed for the selective extraction and determination of niclosamide in read samples, including rice, medicine tablets, and water samples. Here, hydrophobic magnetic deep eutectic solvents were used as the extracting solvent without requiring any centrifugation step. In the light of preliminary experiments, important parameters, such as volume of extraction solvent, pH, acetonitrile volume and vortex time, affecting the extraction efficiency of niclosamide were optimized using a Box-Behnken design. The linear dynamic range (0.25-120 µg/L), the limit of detection (0.08 µg/L), the limit of quantitation (0.25 µg/L), preconcentration factor (180), and enrichment factor (130) of the method were determined using optimized data. In particular, the validation parameters of the optimized VA-HMDES-DLPME, including robustness, matrix effect accuracy, and precision, were investigated. In addition to this, intra- and inter-day precisions were determined as ≤3.5 % and ≤4.1%, respectively. Finally, the optimized method was successfully used for the extraction of niclosamide in the selected samples prior to spectrophotometric analysis.

Natural Deep Eutectic Solvent-Based Dispersive Liquid-Liquid Microextraction Coupled with Direct Analysis in Real Time Mass Spectrometry: A Green Temperature-Mediated Analytical Strategy

Green analytical chemistry (GAC) represents a rapidly growing research field that aims at developing novel analytical approaches with minimal consumption of hazardous reagents and solvents. The current study reports on a GAC methodology exploiting the unique physicochemical properties of natural deep eutectic solvents (NADESs), a supposedly environmentally friendly class of solvents. Based on a temperature-mediated strategy, the NADESs were manipulated to undergo multiple phase transitions for favorable functionality and performance. As proof-of-concept demonstrations, both hydrophobic and hydrophilic NADESs were prepared for the extraction and analysis of eight phthalate esters in aqueous samples (food simulants) and three aflatoxins in oily samples (edible oils), respectively. NADES-based dispersive liquid-liquid microextraction (DLLME) was employed to achieve high-efficiency sample pretreatment. Afterward, the NADESs were transformed from liquids into solids by tuning the peripheral temperature for a convenient phase separation from the sample matrices. The solidified NADES extracts were melted and vaporized at elevated temperatures by transmission-mode direct analysis in real time (DART) for further quadrupole-Orbitrap high-resolution mass spectrometry (Q-Orbitrap HRMS) analysis. The developed protocol was validated, achieving good repeatability with relative standard deviations (RSDs) of less than 9% and satisfactory sensitivity with limits of detection (LODs) and quantitation (LOQs) ranging from 0.1 to 0.8 and 0.2 to 2.0 μg/kg, respectively. The greenness of the analytical methodology was assessed with the calculated scores of 0.66 and 0.57 for the hydrophobic and hydrophilic NADES-based protocols, respectively. The method was applied to marketed samples, highlighting the great potential for green chemical analysis.

Hydrophobic deep eutectic solvent-based ultrasonic-assisted liquid-liquid microextraction combined with GC for eugenol, isoeugenol, and methyl isoeugenol determination in aquatic products

The use of deep eutectic solvents (DESs) has great prospects because of the green and efficient characteristics, which can be used for developing analytical methods for foods. In this research, assisted by ultrasonic waves, a liquid-liquid microextraction detection method combined with gas chromatography was established for three anaesthetics (eugenol, isoeugenol, and methyl isoeugenol) in aquatic food. The processing conditions including the components, ratio of hydrogen bond acceptor and hydrogen bond donor, DES volume, ultrasonic time, and pH were evaluated and optimised to improve the extraction efficiency, which was based on the DES structures and properties. In-house method validation was carried out by applying to real samples. A Thymol: levulinic acid DES (with a molar ratio of 1:2) was used as the extractant and the recoveries were as high as 93-101% for eugenol, 90-100% for methyl isoeugenol, and 86-94% for isoeugenol with RSDs <5% under optimum conditions. The limit of detection and quantification of the eugenol compounds were 0.08-0.10 μg/mL and 0.26-0.33 μg/mL, respectively. The method has green credentials and comparable LOD to homologous apparatus, which can be used for the determination of eugenol components in aquatic food.

Real-time monitoring of serotonin with highly selective aptamer-functionalized conducting polymer nanohybrids

Adequate serotonin levels are pivotal to human well-being; thus, serotonin can be used as a biomarker because it regulates a wide range of physical and psychological functions. As an imbalance of serotonin is highly likely to initiate the pathogenesis of various disorders, monitoring serotonin levels in real time is in high demand for the early detection of disease. We fabricated a field-effect transistor (FET) biosensor based on aptamer-immobilized conducting polymer nanohybrids, which showed an instantaneous response toward serotonin in solution. The mechanism of serotonin detection was based on aptamer deformation after aptamer-ligand interaction and the consequential decrease in the charge carrier density of the FET template. Docking simulations with AutoDock/Vina and PyMOL were successfully used to investigate the binding site of serotonin in the loop structure of the aptamer. The fabricated FET template showed high sensitivity toward serotonin in the range of 10 fM to 100 nM, and the limit of detection (LOD) was exceptionally low at 10 fM. Moreover, the selectivity toward serotonin was confirmed by observing no signal after the injection of structural analogs, functional analogs and excess physiological biomolecules. The potential clinical application of this sensor was confirmed because it remained consistent when the buffer solution was exchanged for artificial serum or artificial cerebrospinal fluid (CSF). ^† S.G.L. and S.E.S. contributed equally to this work.

Comparison of the extractability of organophosphorus flame retardants in landfill media using organic and green solvents

Organic solvents are mainly used in the extraction of organophosphorus flame retardants (OPFRs) because of their availability and having been tested as good extracting solvents for most environmental pollutants. However, organic solvents are toxic, flammable, and costly. Hence, there is an ongoing quest for less hazardous chemicals such as green deep eutectic solvents (DES) that are cheap, recyclable, non-toxic and degradable in the environment, which can be used to extract organic pollutants such as OPFRs in environmental samples. This study assessed the extractability of OPFRs in municipal landfill leachate and sediment, using organic solvents and DES. Of the fourteen targeted OPFRs, 11 (80%) and 7 (50%) were detected in the leachate and sediment samples, using hexane; whereas 14 (100%) and 13 (90%) OPFRs were detected in the same order of samples using DES. The concentrations of OPFRs obtained for the leachate using optimum organic and DES ranged from below the limit of quantification (< LOQ)—516 ± 8.10 ng/L and < LOQ—453 ± 8.10 ng/L respectively. Correspondingly, the concentrations of OPFRs in sediment samples ranged from < LOQ—135 ± 2.89 ng/g dw and < LOQ—395 ± 2.24 ng/g dw, respectively. The results from this study, therefore, highlight the potential of DES to extract more OPFR from complex matrices such as landfill leachate and sediment. This finding infers that green hydrophilic DES can serve as good replacement for organic solvents such as hexane in liquid–liquid extraction (LLE) and solid–liquid extraction (SLE) techniques for landfill leachate and sediment.

Hydrophobic magnetic deep eutectic solvent: Synthesis, properties, and application in DNA separation

Isolating high-purity nucleic acids from complex biological samples is critical to nucleic acid analysis. In the current work, four hydrophobic magnetic deep eutectic solvents (HMDESs) were firstly designed and prepared for the extraction of DNA. The conformations of the HMDESs were simulated and H-bonding interactions in the HMDESs were investigated by density functional theory (DFT) calculation. Characterization of HMDESs' physical (magnetism, density, viscosity and hydrophobicity), and thermal (melting point and decomposition temperature) properties were conducted. Single stranded DNA (ssDNA), double stranded DNA (dsDNA) and DNA sodium salts (stDNA) that were extracted by HMDESs could be quickly collected by an external magnet. Three auxiliary extraction methods, including vortex auxiliary extraction, mechanical shaking auxiliary extraction and ultrasonic auxiliary extraction, were introduced to extract DNA with HMDESs and the extraction efficiencies were evaluated using NanoDrop. Factors that could impact the DNA extraction process, such as HMDESs volume, temperature, time, and pH, were systematically investigated via single-factor experimental analysis. The proposed extraction method can successfully extract DNA from complex matrices and E. coli cell lysate. The DNA extracted by using HMDESs are well suitable for PCR amplifications. The interaction and corresponding binding sites between HMDESs and DNA were investigated by FT-IR and DFT calculation. The extraction mechanisms were discussed: hydrophobic interaction and electrostatic interaction are two main forces driving DNA extraction by HMDESs.

Insights into the relationships between physicochemical properties, solvent performance, and applications of deep eutectic solvents

Deep eutectic solvent (DES) is regarded as a new generation of green solvent due to its distinctive and tailorable physicochemical properties, such as low volatility, strong solubility, biodegradability, low-cost, environment-friendly, and feasibility of the structural design. As an alternative to traditional organic solvents and ionic liquids (ILs), DESs have been widely applied in many fields, such as organic chemical synthesis, electrochemical deposition, material preparation, biomass catalytic conversion, extraction and separation, detection and analysis, nanotechnology, gas absorption, and drug delivery. In this paper, through in-depth discussion on factors influencing the physicochemical properties of DESs, we summarized the relations between their composition, structure, and performance. Focusing on their solvent performance, we analyzed the latest research results of DESs with different physicochemical properties in various fields. It should be pointed out that designing and synthesizing DESs from the molecular structure aspect to regulate their physicochemical properties is the direction of accurately developing new functional applications of DESs.

Application of an in-situ formulated magnetic deep eutectic solvent for the determination of triazine herbicides in rice

In this work, a rapid, convenient, sensitive, and cost-effective in-situ formed magnetic deep eutectic solvent based on a dispersive liquid-liquid extraction method was developed for the determination of triazine herbicides in rice. A novel tetrabutylammonium chloride (TBAC) based magnetic deep eutectic solvent (MDES), [TBAC/ethylene glycol][FeCl₄] was generated by means of an simple in-situ reaction of the deep eutectic solvent (DES) with iron chloride in the sample solution. The solvent which has high affinity for target analytes and magnetic ability was successfully employed as an extraction solvent and simplified both the extraction and separation procedure. A series of parameters influencing the extraction efficiency were investigated. Under optimal conditions, calibration curves for the target triazine herbicides were obtained in the ranges of 5-1000 ng g^-1, with correlation coefficients greater than 0.9910. The limits of detection (LOD) and quantification (LOQ) were in the range of 1.49-3.10 ng g^-1 and 4.96-10.34 ng g^-1, respectively. The precision of intra- and inter-day were under 6.2% and 9.6%, respectively, and the precision between laboratories were lower than 7.5%. The accuracy of the method varied from 84.9 to 117.5%. Furthermore, the method showed satisfactory matrix effect and robustness. These results indicate that the technique is suitable for rice sample analysis.

Desulfurization Performance of Choline Chloride-Based Deep Eutectic Solvents in the Presence of Graphene Oxide

Extractive catalytic oxidative desulfurization (ECODS) is the one of the recent methods used in fuel desulfurization which involved the use of catalyst in the oxidative desulfurization of diesel fuel. This study is aimed to test the effectiveness of synthesized choline chloride (ChCl) based deep eutectic solvent (DES) in fuel desulfurization via ECODS method, with the presence of graphene oxide (GO) as catalyst and hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) as oxidant. In this study, 16 DESs based on choline chloride were synthesized using glycerol (GLY), ethylene glycol (EG), tetraethylene glycol (TEG) and polyethylene glycol (PEG). The characterization of the synthesized DES was carried out via Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) analysis, density, and viscosity determination. According to the screening result, ChCl-PEG (1:4) was found to be the most effective DES for desulfurization using ECODS method, with a removal of up to 47.4% of sulfur containing compounds in model oil in just 10 min per cycle after the optimization of the reaction parameters, and up to 95% desulfurization efficiency could be achieved by six cycles of desulfurization. It is found that the addition of GO as catalyst does not increase the desulfurization performance drastically; hence, future studies for the desulfurization performance of DESs made up from ChCl and PEG and its derivatives can be done simply by using extraction desulfurization (EDS) method instead of ECODS method, for cost reduction purpose and easier regulation of DES waste into environment.

A Review of the Use of Eutectic Solvents, Terpenes and Terpenoids in Liquid–liquid Extraction Processes

Diverse and abundant applications of the eutectic solvents have appeared in the last years. Their promising tunable properties, eco-friendly character and the possibility of being prepared from numerous compounds have led to the publication of numerous papers addressing their use in different areas. Terpenes and terpenoids have been employed in the formulation of eutectic solvents, though they also have been applied as solvents in extraction processes. For their hydrophobic nature, renewable character, low environmental impact, cost and being non-hazardous, they have also been proposed as possible substitutes of conventional solvents in the separation of organic compounds from aqueous streams, similarly to hydrophobic eutectic solvents. The present work reviews the application of eutectic solvents in liquid–liquid extraction and terpenes and terpenoids in extraction processes. It has been made a research in the current state-of-the-art in these fields, describing the proposed applications of the solvents. It has been highlighted the scale-up feasibility, solvent regeneration and reuse procedures and the comparison of the performance of eutectic solvents, terpenes and terpenoids in extraction with conventional organic solvents or ionic liquids. Ultimately, it has been also discussed the employ of predictive methods in extraction, the reliability of thermodynamic models in correlation of liquid–liquid equilibria and simulation of liquid–liquid extraction processes.

An Effective Acid-Base-Induced Liquid-Liquid Microextraction Based on Deep Eutectic Solvents for Determination of Testosterone and Methyltestosterone in Milk

An environmentally friendly method for the determination of testosterone and methyltestosterone by acid-base-induced deep eutectic solvents liquid-liquid microextraction (DES-ABLLME) combining with high-performance liquid chromatography was established. The deep eutectic solvent (DES) consisting of menthol:lauric acid:decanoic acid (3:1:1) can act as both hydrogen bond donor and hydrogen bond acceptor. In this approach, ammonia solution (NH3•H2O) is used as an emulsifier to react with DESs in the extraction process to generate salt and form milky white solution, achieving high extraction efficiency. Hydrochloric acid was used as a phase separator to change the emulsification state and promote the separation of extraction agent from water phase. A series of parameters were optimized including the volume of DES and the emulsifying agent, glucose concentration as well as hydrochloric acid volume. The method was linear in the range 0.5-100 μg mL-1 with a correlation coefficient (R) of 0.9999, and the limits of detection were 0.067 and 0.2 μg mL-1 for testosterone and methyltestosterone, respectively. This method was applied to analyze testosterone and methyltestosterone in milk samples, and the recoveries were between 89.2 and 108.2%.

Green Extraction of Antioxidant Polyphenols from Green Tea (Camellia sinensis)

In this study, the feasibility of improving the extraction yield of green tea antioxidant polyphenols by the combination of ultrasound-assisted extraction (UAE) and deep eutectic solvents (DESs) was investigated. Choline chloride (ChCl)-glycerol was selected as the best DES among 12 ChCl-based DESs to extract tea antioxidant polyphenols. Subsequently, the influences of extraction parameters on total phenolic content (TPC) values were investigated, and liquid/solid ratio, ultrasonic power, and ultrasonic time were optimized based on the response surface methodology. The optimal extraction conditions were a liquid to solid ratio of 36:1 (mL/g), ultrasonic power of 461.5 W, and ultrasonic time of 21 min, with the highest TPC value of 243 ± 7 mg gallic acid equivalent (mg GAE)/g dry weight (DW), which was 13% higher than that before optimization. In addition, under the optimal extraction conditions, tea polyphenolic extract exhibited higher antioxidant activity compared with conventional extraction methods. Four major catechins in the green tea extracts, including (−)-epicatechin (EC), (−)-epigallocatechin (EGC), (−)-epicatechin gallate (ECG) and (−)-epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) were identified and quantified by high-performance liquid chromatography. In addition, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) analysis revealed that UAE-DES effectively disrupted the green tea leaf cells, thereby improving tea polyphenol yield. In summary, UAE-DES is an ideal green extraction method for the extraction of tea antioxidant polyphenols.

Green, fast and simple dispersive liquid-liquid microextraction method by using hydrophobic deep eutectic solvent for analysis of folic acid in fortified flour samples before liquid chromatography determination

A fast, simple, sensitive, and efficient vortex-assisted dispersive liquid-liquid microextraction method (VA-DES-DLME) was developed based on hydrophobic deep eutectic solvent for extraction of folic acid from flour samples followed by HPLC determination. Hydrophobic DES was prepared by mixing amylalcohol as a hydrogen bond donor and methyltriocthylammonium chloride as a hydrogen bond acceptor. Factors affecting DLLME were considered and optimized. In optimal conditions, the calibration curve was linear in the range 5.0-500 ng g^-1 with a correlation coefficient higher than 0.99. The limit of detection (LOD) and the limit of quantification (LOQ) were 1.0 and 3.0 ng g^-1, respectively. The intra-day and inter-day precision at concentrations of 10 and 100 ng g^-1 were less than 8%. Finally, application of the proposed procedure was investigated by folic acid analysis in flour samples and the relative recoveries obtained were acceptable (Recovery ≥ 90%).

Ultrasonication-assisted synthesis of alcohol-based deep eutectic solvents for extraction of active compounds from ginger

An ultrasonication-assisted synthesis of alcohol-based deep eutectic solvents (DESs) is described. Several DESs were synthesized simultaneously under the same conditions. The prepared DESs were used for the extraction of gingerols from ginger powder via ultrasonication-assisted extraction. Notably, some of the prepared DESs exhibited superior extraction performance than those in traditional organic solvents. The viscosity of the DESs, which was suggested to be typically lower than 100 mPa*s had a critical effect on extraction performance. However, the higher gingerol contents in the extracts did not translate to higher active antioxidant abilities. The extraction temperature was found to be a key determinant of the antioxidant capability of the extracted gingerols while the use of higher temperatures (>50 °C) induced degradation and loss of phenolic compounds during extraction. Response surface methodology was applied for determining the optimal extraction conditions to achieve maximum antioxidant capacity with suitable gingerol content. All compounds used for the preparation of the DESs in this study have been widely employed in cosmetic and pharmaceutical fields. Therefore, the extracts in these DES solutions can be considered for direct application development without further product isolation.

Rapid, tunable synthesis of porous carbon xerogels with expanded graphite and their application as anodes for Li-ion batteries

The present work reports a rapid, tunable synthesis of resorcinol-formaldehyde (RF) carbon xerogels and their potential application as anode materials for lithium-ion battery. An iron-containing deep eutectic solvent (DES) is applied as both reaction medium and catalyst for the polymerization and graphitization. Water at different levels is employed as a co-solvent to mediate the polymerization and phase separation processes to produce a more-developed porous structure. The established binary-solvent synthesis strategy greatly simplifies the RF carbon xerogel preparation processes with a very short sol-gel time and a more acceptable ambient pressure drying. A duplex carbon configuration of rich microporosity (S_BET = 566 m² g^-1) and expanded nanographite is achieved in the binary-solvent system with a DES mass fraction of 70%. The integrated structural merit is highly favorable for lithium storage, showing a reversible capacity of 633 mA h g^-1 at 0.1 A g^-1 and an excellent rate performance (205 mA h g^-1 at 5 A g^-1) as well as superior cycling stability.

A green deep eutectic solvents microextraction coupled with acid-base induction for extraction of trace phenolic compounds in large volume water samples

A simple, effective and convenient method for determination of phenolic compounds by acid-base induced deep eutectic solvents (DESs) microextraction was developed. The binary and ternary DESs were prepared by a range of fatty acids (C₈-C₁₂), which can act as hydrogen bond donors and hydrogen bond acceptors simultaneously. The gas-assisted mixing customization provides excellent mixing performance and concentration efficiency through the bubble adsorption mechanism for the handling of large-volume aqueous sample. In extraction process, NH₃·H₂O can act as the emulsifier agent and reacted with DESs to form salts with a cloudy solution, which can obviously improve the extraction efficiency. HCl can act as the phase separation agent, and there is no need to centrifuge, which increases the efficiency of analysis procedure. The factors affected on extraction efficiency were carefully optimized. At optimum conditions and molar ratio of C₈:C₉:C₁₂ (3:2:1), the limit of detections (LODs), the preconcentration factor, the repeatability (RSDs%) were in the range of 0.22-0.53 μg L^-1, 235-244, and 2.6-6.7%, respectively. Finally, the proposed method was applied to analyze four phenolic compounds in real water samples and the recoveries were between 87.4% and 106.6%.

Dispersed Solidified Fine Droplets Based on Sonication of a Low Melting Point Deep Eutectic Solvent: a Novel Concept for Fast and Efficient Determination of Cr(VI) in Urine Samples

Cr(VI) has carcinogenic effects, so determination of trace amount of chromium in human body such as urine has a great deal of importance. In this work, a novel microextraction method was developed based on solidification of dispersed fine droplets (SDFD) of a low melting point deep eutectic solvent (DES), produced with the aid of sonication, for fast and efficient determination of Cr(VI) in urine samples. Cr(VI) contents of the human urine samples were first complexed using 1,5-diphenylcarbazone at pH ≈ 2.0 and then extracted by the method. A cloudy solution was achieved by the sonication of a microliter volume of a new water-immiscible DES consisting of benzyltriphenylphosphonium bromide (BTPPB) and phenol. Low freezing point of DES makes it possible to use simple, precise, and fast collection of the extraction phase by solidification and the subsequent centrifugation. Finally, the sedimented phase was diluted with methanol and analyzed by electrothermal atomic absorption spectrometry (ETAAS). The influences of the main factors on the efficiency of the procedure were investigated by a four-factor central composite design (CCD). Under the optimum conditions, the calibration curve was linear within the range of 10-1000 ng L^-1. The intra- and inter-day RSD% values of 2.6 and 4.7% were obtained at the concentration of 50.0 ng L^-1, respectively. The limits of detection (LOD) and quantification (LOQ) were calculated as 2.0 and 7.0 ng L^-1, respectively. Moreover, compared to the other approaches, the proposed method presented better or comparable analytical performance and provided accurate, precise, and reliable results for trace analysis of Cr(VI) in urine samples.

Inorganic/organic hybrid magnetic polymers based on POSS and pyridinium FeCl4: the effect of self-assembly

The inorganic/organic hybrid POSS-P4VP[FeCl₄] self-assembled into spheres with POSS aggregates as the core and P4VP[FeCl₄] as the shell. Its magnetic susceptibility was affected by self-assembly and molecular weight.