An innovative sampling approach combined with liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry for the analysis of emerging pollutants in drinking water

Abstract

In this work, an innovative sampling and preconcentration method followed by analysis with liquid chromatography coupled to tandem mass spectrometry with electrospray ionization (LC-ESI-MS/MS) was developed for the determination of different emerging pollutants (five anti-inflammatory drugs and one antibacterial agent) in water matrices. Thin-film microextraction blades, consisting of stainless steel blades with a coating made of divinylbenzene, have been employed. The blades, fixed onto a stainless steel support, were mounted on a laboratory stirrer with adjustable speed, immersed in water samples and eluted with methanol. The analytical procedure was developed, carefully optimizing stirring speed and extraction time. A good reproducibility among the blades was observed; quantitation limits at the ng L −1 level were achieved. Calibration curves were constructed by applying the whole procedure to tap water samples, free from analytes, spiked with standards in the concentration range 0.01-2 μg L −1 ; good linearity was obtained, with R 2 between 0.9984 and 0.9991.

Benefits of Innovative and Fully Water-Compatible Stationary Phases of Thin-Film Microextraction (TFME) Blades

“…In another study, divinylbenzene (DVB) coatings were selected over the considered C 18 coatings for the extraction of six anti-inflammatory and antibacterial drugs from water samples. The reason stated by the authors was DVB’s known suitability for extraction of small molecules from water [ 25 ]. Bearing structural similarity to DVB, the HLB particles comprised poly(divinylbenzene-co-N-vinylpyrrolidone) were purposely designed to exert both hydrophobic and hydrophilic type interactions [ 26 ] and thus, provide a universal stationary phase for simultaneous extraction of chemically diverse analytes.…”

Passive Sampling of Organic Contaminants as a Novel Approach to Monitor Seawater Quality in Aquarium Ocean Tanks

“…The presence of target emerging contaminants was evaluated by using liquid chromatography coupled to tandem mass spectrometry [20]. Chromatographic separations were performed by an Agilent Liquid Chromatograph Series 1200SL.…”

Input of Electroanalytical Methods for the Determination of Diclofenac: A Review of Recent Trends and Developments

“…[31,32] The vast majority of analytical methods applied for accurate, selective and sensitive DCL detection and quantification in various samples have been based on LC coupled to tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) mainly due to its versatility, specificity and selectivity, enabling the detection of target compounds in the low ng L À 1 range. [31,[42][43][44][45][46][47][48] A survey of the research articles dealing with analytical methods employed for quantitation of DCL is presented in Table 1. [46] As it can be seen, the analysis of DCL is dominated by LC-tandem mass spectrometric techniques.…”