Yu-Ying Chao

Direct determination of chlorophenols in water samples through ultrasound-assisted hollow fiber liquid–liquid–liquid microextraction on-line coupled with high-performance liquid chromatography

In this study we on-line coupled hollow fiber liquid-liquid-liquid microextraction (HF-LLLME), assisted by an ultrasonic probe, with high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). In this approach, the target analytes - 2-chlorophenol (2-CP), 3-chlorophenol (3-CP), 2,6-dichlorophenol (2,6-DCP), and 3,4-dichlorophenol (3,4-DCP) - were extracted into a hollow fiber (HF) supported liquid membrane (SLM) and then back-extracted into the acceptor solution in the lumen of the HF. Next, the acceptor solution was withdrawn on-line into the HPLC sample loop connected to the HF and then injected directly into the HPLC system for analysis. We found that the chlorophenols (CPs) could diffuse quickly through two sequential extraction interfaces - the donor phase - SLM and the SLM - acceptor phase - under the assistance of an ultrasonic probe. Ultrasonication provided effective mixing of the extracted boundary layers with the bulk of the sample and it increased the driving forces for mass transfer, thereby enhancing the extraction kinetics and leading to rapid enrichment of the target analytes. We studied the effects of various parameters on the extraction efficiency, viz. the nature of the SLM and acceptor phase, the compositions of the donor and acceptor phases, the fiber length, the stirring rate, the ion strength, the sample temperature, the sonication conditions, and the perfusion flow rate. This on-line extraction method exhibited linearity (r(2)≥0.998), sensitivity (limits of detection: 0.03-0.05 μg L(-1)), and precision (RSD%≤4.8), allowing the sensitive, simple, and rapid determination of CPs in aqueous solutions and water samples with a sampling time of just 2 min.

Using an on-line microdialysis/HPLC system for the simultaneous determination of melamine and cyanuric acid in non-dairy creamer

The recent revelation of melamine (MEL) contamination in foodstuffs in China has rocked the international public health community. Many food categories have been involved in this scandal, including non-dairy creamer (NDC). In this study, we investigated the use of hollow-fiber microdialysis (MD) sampling coupled on-line with high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) as an alternative to sample pretreatment for the direct determination of MEL and its analogue cyanuric acid (CYA) in NDC. After MD sampling, the dialysate was injected on-line into the chromatographic system for analysis of MEL and CYA with UV detection at 203 nm. We monitored the effects of various parameters affecting the MD efficiency, namely the characteristics of the MD probe membrane, the flow-rate and the nature of the polarity modifier in the perfusion stream, and the addition of salt in the sample solution. The optimal enrichment efficiency for collecting MEL and CYA from aqueous NDC samples occurred with MD sampling using a hollow polysulfone MD fiber and MeOH as the perfusate at a flow rate of 10 μL min(-1). The optimized chromatographic conditions involved using a reversed-phase phenyl column and a mobile phase of 5 mM phosphate buffer in 10% (v/v) MeOH, buffered at pH 6.5. Detection was linear in the concentration range from 0.02 to 5 ppm for MEL and from 2 to 100 ppm for CYA, with detection limits of 1 ppb for MEL and 30 ppb for CYA. The volume of perfusate required to extract MEL and CYA from the NDC solution was only 21 μL. The total MD sampling time was 2.1 min. This method allows the sensitive, eco-friendly, and rapid determination of MEL and CYA in NDC-a risk food for economically motivated adulteration.

Selective and eco-friendly method for determination of mercury(II) ions in aqueous samples using an on-line AuNPs–PDMS composite microfluidic device/ICP-MS system

In this study we developed an on-line, eco-friendly, and highly selective method using a gold nanoparticle (AuNP)-coated polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) composite microfluidic (MF) chip coupled to inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) to separate trace Hg(2+) ions from aqueous samples. Because Hg(2+) ions interact with AuNPs to form Hg-Au complexes, we were able to separate Hg(2+) ions from aqueous samples. We prepared the AuNPs-PDMS composite through in situ synthesis using a PDMS cross-linking agent to both reduce and embed AuNPs onto PDMS microchannels so that no additional reductants were required for either AuNP synthesis or the PDMS surface modification (2% HAuCl4, room temperature, 48 h). To optimize the proposed on-line system, we investigated several factors that influenced the separation of Hg(2+) ions in the AuNPs-PDMS/MF, including adsorption pH, adsorption and elution flow rates, microchannel length, and interferences from coexisting ions. Under optimized conditions (pH 6.0; adsorption/elution flow rates: 0.05/0.5 mL min(-1); channel length: 840 mm), we evaluated the accuracy of the system using a standard addition method; the measured values had agreements of ≥ 93.0% with certified values obtained for Hg(2+) ions. The relative standard deviations of the proposed method ranged from 2.24% to 6.21%. The limit of detection for Hg(2+) for the proposed on-line AuNPs-PDMS/MF/ICP-MS analytical method was as low as 0.07 µg L(-1).

Effects of Push/Pull Perfusion and Ultrasonication on the Extraction Efficiencies of Phthalate Esters in Sports Drink Samples Using On-line Hollow-Fiber Liquid-Phase Microextraction

In previous studies, we developed a process, on-line ultrasound-assisted push/pull perfusion hollow-fiber liquid-phase microextraction (UA-PPP-HF-LPME), combining the techniques of push/pull perfusion (PPP) and ultrasonication with hollow-fiber liquid-phase microextraction (HF-LPME), to achieve rapid extraction of acidic phenols from water samples. In this present study, we further evaluated three more-advanced and novel effects of PPP and ultrasonication on the extraction efficiencies of neutral high-molecular-weight phthalate esters (HPAEs) in sports drinks. First, we found that inner-fiber fluid leakage occurs only in push-only perfusion-based and pull-only perfusion-based HF-LPME, but not in the PPP mode. Second, we identified a significant negative interaction between ultrasonication and temperature. Third, we found that the extraction time of the newly proposed system could be shortened by more than 93%. From an investigation of the factors affecting UA-PPP-HF-LPME, we established optimal extraction conditions and achieved acceptable on-line enrichment factors of 92-146 for HPAEs with a sampling time of just 2 min.

Ultrasound-assisted hollow fiber/ionic liquid-based liquid phase microextraction using an ionic liquid solvent for preconcentration of cobalt and nickel ions in urine samples prior to FAAS determination

Ultrasound-assisted (UA) hollow fiber (HF) liquid-phase microextraction (LPME) coupled with flame atomic absorption spectrometry (FAAS) has been developed to preconcentrate and determine ultra-trace amounts of cobalt (Co) and nickel (Ni) ions in human urine. To the best of our knowledge, no previous reports have described the coupling of UA-ionic liquid (IL)-HF-LPME with an FAAS system to analyze metal ions in biological samples. In this study, the ILs 1-hexyl-3-methylimidazolium hexafluorophosphate, sodium hexafluorophosphate, and 1-(2-pyridylazo)-2-naphthol were used as extraction, ion-pairing, and chelating agents, respectively. With the assistance of an ultrasonic probe, the analyte exchange between the phases increased, and the extraction efficiency of Co and Ni ions improved significantly. The collected extraction phase was subsequently analyzed directly through FAAS. Under optimized conditions, the detection limits of Co and Ni ions were 0.09 and 0.03 μg L−1, respectively. The precision of the analysis of Co and Ni ions was within a relative standard deviation of 10% under normal operating conditions. The ultrasonic assistance provided enrichment factors of 66 and 82 for Co and Ni ions, respectively. The recoveries of Co and Ni ions spiked in urine samples ranged from 93.8 to 104.3%. The practicality of the proposed method was demonstrated through satisfactory analyses of samples of a standard reference material and real human urine.

Ambient mass spectrometry for rapid diagnosis of psychoactive drugs overdose in an unstable patient

A 25-year-old man suffered from consciousness change was sent to our emergency department by friends who reported that they were not sure what had happened to him. Physical examination revealed bilateral pupils dilatation, lethargy, slurred speech, and ataxia. Computer-aided tomographic scan of the brain revealed no definite evidence of intracranial lesions. Routine laboratory tests revealed total physiological turmoil. Despite immediate commencement of aggressive treatment, the patients condition deteriorated long before the traditional drug screen provided an answer for the identities of the multiple drugs overdose. It ended up with the need for cardiopulmonary resuscitation, but in vain. At the end of the tragic event, under the suggestion of a colleague, a portion of the patients urine specimen was sent to our university esoteric laboratory for rapid analysis by means of a newly-developed thermal desorption-electrospray ionization-mass spectrometry. Ketamine, 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine, and 3,4-methylenedioxyamphetamine were identified in the urine sample within 30s. Conventional toxicological testing techniques like gas chromatography-mass spectrometry or liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry are currently used for identifying abused drugs. One concern is their time-consuming sample pretreatment which leads to relatively low efficiency in terms of turnaround time for revealing the identity of the consumed drugs particularly when the patients are severely overdosed. We learned a lesson from this case that a more efficient toxicological identification technique is essential to expedite the process of emergency care when the patients are so heavily overdosed that they are under critical life-threatening conditions.