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An on-line solid phase extraction using a lab-made restricted access media (RAM) was developed as sample preparation procedure for determination of the pharmaceutical compounds caffeine (CAF), carbamazepine (CBZ), norfloxacin (NOR), ciprofloxacin (CIP), fluoxetine (FLX) and venlafaxine in wastewater treatment plant samples by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS). This method is suitable for use in routine of analysis, avoiding cross-contamination and requiring only a small sample volume (50 µL), with minimal handling. The method was validated according to international guidelines. The chromatographic efficiency was evaluated using peak resolution and asymmetry parameters. Carryover was also evaluated, in order to ensure reliability of the analysis and the ability to reuse the cartridge. Satisfactory linearity (r 2  > 0.99) was obtained for all the compounds. The intra- and inter-day precision values were lower than 5.79 and 14.1%, respectively. The limits of detection ranged from 0.01 to 3 µg L -1 and the limits of quantification were from 0.1 to 5 µg L -1 . The method was applied to 20 environmental wastewater samples, with caffeine being the most widely detected compound, at the highest concentration of 392 µg L -1 , while other compounds were detected in fewer samples at lower concentrations (up to 9.60 µg L -1 ). The lab-made modification is a cheaper option for on-line sample preparation, compared to commercially available on-line SPE cartridges and RAM columns. Moreover, a high-throughput procedure was achieved, with an analysis time of 16 min including sample preparation and chromatographic separation. The same RAM column was applied over 200 injections including method optimization, validation and application in wastewater samples without loss of analytical response., (Copyright © 2021 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

A high-throughput and innovative setup has been developed to automate the online integration of single drop microextraction (SDME), liquid chromatography (LC) and high-resolution mass spectrometry (QqToF). SDME and LC were online hyphenated for the first time. SDME was carried out by a lab-made cartesian robot actuating a 100 μL syringe, equipped with a three-way solenoid microvalve that allowed the online transference of the enriched extract to the chromatographic system, through a six-port switching valve. The complete method, including the synchronized robot action, valves, and the analytical instruments, was controlled by an Arduino Mega board. The merits of the proposed setup were demonstrated by the triazines determination in coconut water samples. The most relevant extraction parameters, such as drop size, exposure time, stirring effect, salt addition and pH were systematically investigated. Under optimized conditions (60 μL drop volume and 10 min extraction time), the LC-UV enrichment factors (EF) and the extraction recoveries (ER) ranged between 15.2-18.4 and 11.4-13.8%, respectively. Using the SDME-LC-MS setup, the linear range, detection limit (S/N = 3) and precision (RSD, n = 6 at 0.25 μg L -1 level of concentration) were 0.25-25 μg L -1 , 0.10 μg L -1 and 16.8% for simazine; 0.25-25 μg L -1 , 0.05 μg L -1 and 14.7% for atrazine; and 0.25-25 μg L -1 , 0.05 μg L -1 and 18.5% for propazine, respectively. Although none of the analytes were detected in the evaluated commercial samples, the results indicate that the proposed online SDME-LC setup is a competitive analytical strategy for the determination of target organic compounds in complex matrices., (Copyright © 2019 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

This study presents a column-switching solid-phase extraction online-coupled to a liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry (SPE-LC-MS/MS) method for simultaneous analysis of 12 antibiotics (7 sulfonamides and 5 fluoroquinolones) and caffeine detected in the sewage and effluent of a pilot anaerobic reactor used in sewage treatment. After acidification and filtration, the samples were directly injected into a simple and conventional LC system. Backflush and foreflush modes were compared based on the theoretical plates and peak asymmetry observed. The method was tested in terms of detection (MDL) and quantification limit (MQL), linearity, relative recovery, and precision intra- and inter-day in lab-made sewage samples. The method presented suitable figures of merit in terms of detection, varying from 8.00 × 10(-5) to 6.00 × 10(-2) ng (0.800 up to 600 ng L(-1); caffeine) with direct injection volume of only 100 μL and 13 min of total analysis time (sample preparation and chromatographic run). When the method was applied in the analysis of sewage and effluent of the anaerobic reactor (n = 15), six antibiotics and caffeine were detected in concentrations ranging from 0.018 to 1097 μg L(-1). To guarantee a reliable quantification, standard addition was used to overcome the matrix effect.