Hydrophobic microporous extraction on polyurethane sponges for convenient and sensitive analysis of organic molecules in water

Rationale Various solvent supports have been developed to overcome solvent instability during liquid-phase microextraction. The hydrophobic polyurethane sponge (PS) possesses numerous cross-linked internal microchannels and terminal micropores that can facilitate steady solvent storage capacity, high extraction efficiency, extractant loading, and recycling convenience. Methods In this study, an easy, convenient, and efficient PS-supported liquid-phase microextraction (PS-LPME) coupled with gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) method was developed for the trace analysis of different organic compounds in aqueous solutions. Different extraction solvents, PS dosages, stirring speeds, and extraction times were first investigated by extracting eight polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs: naphthalene, acenaphthylene, acenaphthene, fluorene, phenanthrene, anthracene, fluoranthene, and pyrene), and then applied for the analysis of triazines, amides, chloroacetamides, and organophosphorus compounds. Results High enrichment factors (approximately 208-439) were observed for the monitored PAHs. Good linearities, with determination coefficients (r(2)) greater than 0.9992, were achieved in the concentration range of 0.01-50 mu g L-1. Low limits of detection and quantification were found in the ranges of 0.3-3 ng L-1 and 1-10 ng L-1, respectively. At three spiked concentrations (0.1, 1, and 10 mu g L-1), good recoveries were obtained in the range of 91.6-118.5% with intra- and inter-day relative standard deviations of less than 6.4% and 11.7%, respectively. Conclusions The developed PS-LPME method coupled with GC-MS was successfully applied in the analysis of different organic compounds in aqueous solutions and has shown great convenience and satisfactory enrichment performance in microextraction analysis.