Xi-Tian Peng

Rapid and high-throughput determination of cationic surfactants in environmental water samples by automated on-line polymer monolith microextraction coupled to high performance liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry

A rapid, high throughput and sensitive method was presented for automated determination of cationic surfactants in environmental water samples. The method was based on an automated analysis platform that was composed of on-line polymer monolith microextraction (PMME) and high performance liquid chromatography-mass spectrum (HPLC-MS) with an autosampler. A poly(methacrylic acid-co-ethylene dimethacrylate) (MAA-co-EDMA) monolith was selected as the sorbent for purification and enrichment of cationic surfactants in environmental water samples while a new mixed-mode chromatographic column packed with octyl and sulfonic acid co-bonded silica (OSS) was employed for separation and quantitative determination of cationic surfactants in water samples. By integrating sample preparation, chromatographic separation and MS detection into one automated platform, it makes the whole analysis procedure simple, accurate, and time and labor-saving. Several parameters affecting the extraction performance were investigated. Under the optimized conditions, the proposed method was applied to the analysis of seven cationic surfactants in environmental water samples. Good linearities were obtained for all cationic surfactants with R² larger than 0.9895. The limits of detection were found to be in the range of 15-24 ng/L. The method recoveries of the cationic surfactants spiked in water samples were from 80.5% to 115.1%, with relative standard deviations less than 12.4%.

Preparation of mesoporous ZrO2-coated magnetic microsphere and its application in the multi-residue analysis of pesticides and PCBs in fish by GC-MS/MS.

A novel mesoporous ZrO2 immobilized magnetic Fe3O4 microsphere (m-ZrO2@Fe3O4) was successfully synthesized and characterized by transmission electron microscope (TEM), X-ray diffractometer (XRD), nitrogen adsorption measurement (NAM), energy-dispersive X-ray analysis (EDX), vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM). Then the resultant m-ZrO2@Fe3O4 and an n-octadecylphosphonic acid modified magnetic microsphere (Fe3O4-OPA) were employed as clean-up co-adsorbents of QuEChERS (Quick, Easy, Cheap, Effective, Rugged, Safe) method for the analysis of 42 pesticides and 7 polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in fish samples. Lipid co-extractives such as fatty acids in QuEChERS extracts could be efficiently removed through the Lewis acid-Lewis base interaction between m-ZrO2@Fe3O4 and carboxylic groups, while some other apolar interferents could be adsorbed through hydrophobic interaction by Fe3O4-OPA. Meanwhile, the magnetic property of adsorbents endows the clean-up procedure with manipulative convenience. Several parameters affecting the clean-up performance were investigated. Under the optimal conditions, the modified QuEChERS method combined with gas chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (GC-MS/MS) for the multi-class, multi-residue analysis of pesticides and PCBs in fish samples was validated according to linearility, recovery and precision. Good linearities were obtained for all analytes with R(2) larger than 0.9903. Limits of detection (LODs) were found to be in the range of 0.02-4.40 ng/g. The method recoveries of all analytes spiked at three concentration levels in blank fish samples were from 69.8% to 117.1%, with the intra-day and inter-day relative standard deviations (RSDs) less than 13.4% and 16.5%, respectively.

Preparation of phenothiazine bonded silica gel as sorbents of solid phase extraction and their application for determination of nitrobenzene compounds in environmental water by gas chromatography–mass spectrometry

In this paper, two phenothiazine bonded silica (PTZ-Si) sorbents were prepared and used as sorbents of solid-phase extraction (SPE) for the determination of nitrobenzene compounds in environmental water samples by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). Different synthesis routes were proposed to obtain high bonded amount of PTZ on the surface of silica gel. PTZ molecule was derived to its amino or acyl chloride derivatives for reacting with isocyanate or amino silane coupling agent, which was further reacted with the surface silanol groups of silica gel to obtain the PTZ-Si sorbents. The resultant PTZ-Si sorbents were characterized by nitrogen sorption porosimetry (NSP), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) and elemental analysis (EA) to assure the successful bonding of PTZ on the surface of silica gel. Then the PTZ-Si sorbents were served as SPE sorbents for the enrichment of nitrobenzene compounds. Several parameters affecting the extraction performance were investigated. Under the optimized conditions, the proposed method was applied to the analysis of six nitrobenzene compounds in environmental water samples. Good linearities were obtained for all nitrobenzene compounds with R(2) larger than 0.9958. The limits of detection were found to be in the range of 0.06-0.3 ng/mL. The method recoveries of nitrobenzene compounds spiked in water samples were from 71.4% to 124.3%, with relative standard deviations (RSDs) less than 10.1%.

Rapid and sensitive detection of fipronil and its metabolites in edible oils by solid‐phase extraction based on humic acid bonded silica combined with gas chromatography with electron capture detection

Solid-phase extraction based on humic acid bonded silica followed by gas chromatography with electron capture detection was developed to determine fipronil and its metabolites in edible oil. To achieve the best extraction performance, we systematically investigated a series of solid-phase extraction parameters. Under the optimized conditions, the method was validated according to linearity, recovery, and precision. Good linearities were obtained with R(2) more than 0.9996 for all analytes. The limits of detection were between 0.3 and 0.5 ng/g, and the recoveries ranged from 83.1 to 104.0% at three spiked concentrations with intra- and interday relative standard deviation values less than 8.7%. Finally, the proposed method was applied to determine fipronil and its metabolites in 11 edible oil samples taken from Wuhan markets. Fipronil was detectable in four samples with concentrations ranging from 3.0 to 5.2 ng/g. In China, the maximum residue limits of fipronil in some vegetables and maize are 20 and 100 ng/g (GB/T 2763-2014), respectively. The residues of fipronil and its metabolites in commercial edible oils might exhibit some potential threat to human health as a result of high consumption of edible oil as part of daily intake.

Preparation and chromatographic evaluation of zwitterionic stationary phases with controllable ratio of positively and negatively charged groups

The present study described the preparation and application of zwitterionic stationary phases (ACS) with controllable ratio of positively charged tertiary amine groups and negatively charged carboxyl groups. Various parameters, including water content, pH values and ionic strength of the mobile phase, were investigated to study the chromatographic characteristics of ACS columns. The prepared ACS columns demonstrated a mix-mode retention mechanism composed of surface adsorption, partitioning and electrostatic interactions. The elemental analysis of different batches of the ACS phases demonstrated good reproducibility of the preparation strategy. Additionally, various categories of compounds, including nucleosides, water-soluble vitamins, benzoic acid derivatives and basic compounds were successively employed to evaluate the separation selectivity of the prepared ACS stationary phases. These ACS phases exhibited entirely different selectivity and retention behavior from each other for various polar analytes, demonstrating the excellent application potential in the analysis of polar compounds in HILIC.

Preparation of a Novel Amino-Phosphate Zwitterionic Stationary Phase for Hydrophilic Interaction Chromatography

A new stationary phase which contains both negatively charged phosphate groups and positively charged amino groups was successfully synthesized by modification of amino-functionalized silica particles with trichlorophosphine oxide (POCl3) for hydrophilic interaction chromatography (HILIC). The composition of the surface grafts was determined by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and elemental analysis. Various parameters, such as column temperature, water content, pH values and ionic strength of the mobile phase were investigated to study the retention mechanism. The results demonstrated that the stationary phase involved a complex retention process including surface adsorption, partitioning and electrostatic interactions. Under optimized conditions, the separation of nucleobases and nucleosides, water-soluble vitamins, organic acids on the novel stationary phase could be achieved in the HILIC mode.

Rapid and sensitive detection of abamectin in edible oils by solid phase extraction combined with ultra-high-pressure liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry

This study proposes a fast, simple and sensitive ultra-high-pressure liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC-MS/MS)-based method for the detection of abamectin in edible oils. An effective one-step process of extraction and cleanup of abamectin from edible oils is achieved with the use of a humic acid-bonded silica (HAS)-based solid phase extraction (SPE), providing good cleanup performance and satisfactory recovery of abamectin. The effects of experimental variables, such as the amount of sorbents, loading, washing and eluting solvents, and the flow rates of sampling and eluting have been studied in detail. Under optimized conditions, the validation method was performed in terms of linearity, recovery and precision. Good linearity was obtained for abamectin with R2 0.9996, and the limit of detection (LOD) was found to be 0.16 μg kg−1. The recovery methods of abamectin spiked at three concentration levels in a blank sample were from 91.7% to 101.8%, with inter- and intra-day relative standard deviations (RSDs) of less than 7.0%.

Preparation and Characterization of the Neomycin-Bonded Silica Stationary Phase for Hydrophilic-Interaction Chromatography

In this paper, a novel hydrophilic neomycin-bonded silica (Silica-NC) stationary phase for hydrophilic-interaction chromatography (HILIC) was prepared with cyanuric chloride as coupling agent. The resulting Silica-NC stationary phase was characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and elemental analysis to prove the successful immobilization of neomycin on the surface of silica gel. A set of analytes with different properties were selected to investigate the chromatographic characteristics of the Silica-NC stationary phase under HILIC mode. The effects of mobile phase variables such as organic modifier content, ionic strength and pH values on the chromatographic behaviors of testing probes were investigated in detail. The results demonstrated that the Silica-NC phase behaved as a chromatographic packing with hydrophilic-interaction and ionic-interaction. Finally, the effective separations of nucleosides and bases, organic acids, cytokinins and sulfanilamides were achieved on the Silica-NC stationary phase under HILIC mode, indicating the excellent application potential of our developed hydrophilic Silica-NC stationary phase.

Development and validation of a modified QuEChERS method based on magnetic zirconium dioxide microspheres for the determination of 52 pesticides in oil crops by gas chromatography tandem mass spectrometry

The residue analysis of pesticides in high-fat oil crops is a challenging task because of the high amount of lipid co-extracts, which could seriously affect the extraction efficiency and the performance of instruments. In this study, a modified QuEChERS (quick, easy, cheap, effective, rugged and safe) method based on magnetic mesoporous ZrO2 microspheres (m-ZrO2@Fe3O4) and n-octadecylphosphonic acid modified magnetic microspheres (Fe3O4-OPA) was established for the determination of 52 pesticides in oil crops by gas chromatography coupled with tandem mass spectrometry (GC-MS/MS). The ability of m-ZrO2@Fe3O4 to remove fatty acids from acetonitrile extracts of oil crops has been evaluated. The results indicated that m-ZrO2@Fe3O4 showed better performance in the removal of fatty acids than that of PSA, a commonly used sorbent to remove acidic co-extracts in the QuEChERS method. The parameters affecting the cleanup performance including the amounts of m-ZrO2@Fe3O4 and Fe3O4-OPA were also investigated. Under optimal conditions, the method was validated in four kinds of oil crops (peanuts, rapeseed, soybean and sesame) by GC-MS/MS. The linear correlation coefficients (R2) of all four oil crops were higher than 0.9904. The limits of detection (LODs) were found to be in the range of 0.1–4.1 μg kg−1. The average recoveries of all analytes ranged from 69.1% to 120.0% (except p,p′-DDE, p,p′-DDD, o,p′-DDT and p,p′-DDT) with the intra-day and inter-day relative standard deviations (RSDs) less than 14.7% and 14.9%, respectively.