New strategies of sample preparation for determination of sulfonamides in complex matrices

Author(s)

Meire Ribeiro da Silva

• Document type: Doctoral Thesis
• Press: São Carlos.
• Institution: Universidade de São Paulo (USP). Instituto de Química de São Carlos (IQSC/BT)
• Defense date: 2017-05-26

Examining board members

Fernando Mauro Lanças; Silvia Helena Govoni Brondi; Paulo Clairmont Feitosa de Lima Gomes; Isabel Cristina Sales Fontes Jardim; Maria Eugenia Queiroz Nassur

• Advisor: Fernando Mauro Lanças

Abstract

Nowadays health regulatory agencies are focusing on the presence of residues of antimicrobials, pesticides among other that are harmful to the environment, human and animal health that are found on food, river water among others, as example, the residues of sulfonamides (SAs) in bovine milk. The quantification of these compounds in complex matrices requires the sample preparation, extraction and preconcentration of the analytes, besides the elimination of the interferents for the development of chromatographic methods high sensitivity and analytical selectivity. Therefore, it is advantageous to use simple, fast methods that exhibit high selectivity, low reagent consumption, high sensitivity, higher analytical precision and automation of analyzes. In this context, this study explores one of the most employed sample preparation techniques, solid phase extraction (SPE) on automatization approach, the on-line SPE. Recently, the use of new sorbents more selective have received great interest as the ionic liquids (ILs) immobilized on the silica surface. Different approaches to the synthesis of silica modified by ILs were studied. The sorbent synthesized by sol-gel methodology through basic catalysis showed higher extraction efficiency for SAs. The results obtained by infrared spectroscopy and scanning electron microscopy suggested that IL was anchored to the silica surface. The silica modified by IL ([C4MIM] [PF6]) was selected as sorbent for the isolation and preconcentration of SAs in bovine milk using an on-line SPE system -LC-ESI-QToF / MS. The method showed a LOQ of 5-7.5 μg mL-1, while the relative extraction recovery range was 74-93%. The accuracy and precision intra- and inter-day range was 1.5-12.5 and 2.3-13.1, respectively. Another aspect explored was the use of open tubular column (OT) for separation of small molecules. OT columns have been used primarily for peptide and protein analysis, and their potential for small molecules separation has not yet been fully explored. A 5 cm SPE column (mPLOT) was prepared in an open capillary tube composed by 84 channels (10 μm inner diameter (id) each) of a crystal fiber capillary and the inner wall of each channel was coated by organic polymer (PS-OD–DVB). The mPLOT was coupled with a 10 μm x 2 m PS-OD-DVB open tubular column with positive mode nanospray mass spectrometry (OTLC-MS) detection. Compared to the use of monolithic / particulate SPE columns, SPE-OTLC mPLOT significantly improved the preconcentration and peak forms of SAs and their metabolites (~ 300 Da). Low backpressure, mPLOT geometry and the combination with automatic filtration (AFFL) was essential to sample preparation and separation of small molecules on complex matrices. (AU)

• FAPESP's process: 12/22055-9 - Development of silica modified with ionic liquids and their use in sample preparation techniques
• Grantee: Meire Ribeiro da Silva
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Doctorate