A green metal–organic framework to monitor water contaminants

The CIM-80 material (aluminum(iii)-mesaconate) has been synthetized in high yield through a novel green procedure involving water and urea as co-reactants. The CIM-80 material exhibits good thermal stability with a working range from RT to 350 degrees C with a small contraction upon desolvation. Moreover, this material is stable in water at different pH values (1-10) for at least one week, and shows a LC50 value higher than 2 mg mL(-1). The new material has been tested in a microextraction methodology for the monitoring of up to 22 water pollutants while presenting little environmental impact: only 20 mg of CIM-80 and 500 L of acetonitrile are needed per analysis. The analytical performance of the CIM-80 in the microextraction strategy is similar to or even better for several pollutants than that of MIL-53(Al). The average extraction efficiencies range from approximate to 20% for heavy polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons to approximate to 70-100% for the lighter ones. In the case of the emerging contaminants, the average extraction efficiency can reach values up to 70% for triclosan and carbamazepine.