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Simultaneous determination of 12 pharmaceuticals in water samples by ultrasound-assisted dispersive liquid–liquid microextraction coupled with ultra-high performance liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry

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Abstract

A new analytical method was developed for simultaneous determination of 12 pharmaceuticals using ultrasound-assisted dispersive liquid–liquid microextraction (DLLME) followed by ultra-high performance liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry (UHPLC-MS/MS). Six nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs, ketoprofen, mefenamic acid, tolfenamic acid, naproxen, sulindac, and piroxicam) and six antibiotics (tinidazole, cefuroxime axetil, ciprofloxacin, sulfamethoxazole, sulfadiazine, and chloramphenicol) were extracted by ultrasound-assisted DLLME using dichloromethane (800 μL) and methanol/acetonitrile (1:1, v/v, 1200 μL) as the extraction and dispersive solvents, respectively. The factors affecting the extraction efficiency, such as the type and volume of extraction and dispersive solvent, vortex and ultrasonic time, sample pH, and ionic strength, were optimized. The ultrasound-assisted process was applied to accelerate the formation of the fine cloudy solution by using a small volume of dispersive solvent, which increased the extraction efficiency and reduced the equilibrium time. Under the optimal conditions, the calibration curves showed good linearity in the range of 0.04–20 ng mL−1 (ciprofloxacin and sulfadiazine), 0.2–100 ng mL−1 (ketoprofen, tinidazole, cefuroxime axetil, naproxen, sulfamethoxazole, and sulindac), and 1–200 ng mL−1 (mefenamic acid, tolfenamic acid, piroxicam, and chloramphenicol). The LODs and LOQs of the method were in the range of 0.006–0.091 and 0.018–0.281 ng mL−1, respectively. The relative recoveries of the target analytes were in the range from 76.77 to 99.97 % with RSDs between 1.6 and 8.8 %. The developed method was successfully applied to the extraction and analysis of 12 pharmaceuticals in five kinds of water samples (drinking water, running water, river water, influent and effluent wastewater) with satisfactory results.

Twelve pharmaceuticals in water samples analyted by UHPLC-MS/MS using ultrasound-assisted DLLME

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Acknowledgments

This work was sponsored by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (grant nos. 21477082 and 81503029), Liaoning Province Educational Department (L-2014160), Liaoning Province Natural Science Foundation of China (no. 2015020701), and by Large Instrument Sharing Service Construction Special of Shenyang Science and Technology Innovation Fund (no. F14-195-4-00).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Applied Chemistry, Shenyang University of Chemical Technology, Shenyang, Liaoning, 110142, China

    Jin Guan, Chi Zhang & Yiguang Guo

  2. School of Pharmacy, Shenyang Pharmaceutical University, Shenyang, Liaoning, 110016, China

    Chi Zhang, Yang Wang, Yiguang Guo, Peiting Huang & Longshan Zhao

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  1. Jin Guan
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Guan, J., Zhang, C., Wang, Y. et al. Simultaneous determination of 12 pharmaceuticals in water samples by ultrasound-assisted dispersive liquid–liquid microextraction coupled with ultra-high performance liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry. Anal Bioanal Chem 408, 8099–8109 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00216-016-9913-1

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