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A simple sample preparation method requiring minimal organic solvents is proposed for the determination of the total phthalate content in cosmetics by high-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. The hydrolysis of phthalates and purification of interfering substances were performed in a three-phase system that included an upper n-hexane phase, a middle ethanol phase, and a lower aqueous alkali solution. This three-phase system utilized an incremental purification strategy. The apolar ingredients were extracted with n-hexane, the polar pigments accumulated in the ethanol phase, and the hydrolysis product, phthalic acid, remained in the hydrolysate. Under the optimized conditions, the correlation coefficients ( r) for the calibration curves were 0.998-0.999 in the range 0.60-12 mol L. The limit of detection was 5.1 μmol kg, and the limit of quantification was 9.2 μmol kg. The recoveries varied from 84 to 97% with RSDs equal to or lower than 11%. The intra-day and inter-day repeatability values, expressed as the relative standard deviation, were less than 8.7 and 9.8, respectively. No obvious matrix effect existed in the different cosmetics matrices. The validated method was applied for the analysis of 57 commercial cosmetic samples. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Edible oil is easily contaminated with phthalic acid esters (PAEs). Conventional procedures to analyze individual PAEs require very rigorous experimental conditions that are extremely labor-intensive due to significant procedural contaminations generated by the ubiquitous presence of PAEs in the laboratory environment. In this study, a rapid screening method for PAEs in edible oil was successfully developed. Using a phase-transfer catalyst (terabutylammonium bromide) during oil/water biphasic base hydrolysis of PAEs, the hydrolysis time was decreased from a previously reported time of 20 h to 10 min (80 °C). The resulting phthalic acid in the acidified hydrolysate was extracted with 600 μL of tributyl phosphate and then analyzed by high performance liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry in 6 min. Parameters affecting the hydrolysis of PAEs and the extraction of phthalic acid were optimized, and the analytical method was validated. No obvious matrix effect existed in the edible oils whether an external or internal standard method was used. The detection limit was 1.0 μmol kg −1 , and the quantification limit was 1.3 μmol kg −1 . The recovery rates varied from 86 to 107% with relative standard deviations equal to or lower than 9.9% in all of the tested conditions. Twenty-six samples were analyzed, and the background corrected total PAE content was found to be in the range of

A selective and low organic‐solvent‐consuming method of sample preparation combined with high‐performance liquid chromatography and tandem mass spectrometry is introduced for phthalate sum analysis in farmland soil. Sample treatment involves a one‐step hydrolysis of phthalates using methanol and alkaline and tetrabutylammonium bromide for 20 min at 80℃. Then, the resulting phthalic acid in the acidified hydrolysate is extracted using an octanol‐based supramolecular solvent without purification. Under optimized conditions, the correlation coefficients were 0.992–0.999 and standard errors (Sy/x) were 0.018–0.138 for calibration curves within the range of 50–2000 ng/mL. No obvious matrix effect occurred between the pure supramolecular solvent and soil extract. The recovery rates ranged from 91 to 107% with the relative standard deviation ranging from 0.5–7.3%. Intra‐ and interday repeatability, expressed as relative standard deviation, was less than 8.0 and 11.0%, respectively. The detected limit was 2.49 nmol/g, and the quantification limit was 3.64 nmol/g. Fifteen soil samples were analysed, and the background corrected phthalate sum ranged from 1.44 to 120 nmol/g. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]