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A thin, active shell layer on core-shell columns provides high efficiency in HPLC at moderately high pressures. We revisited three models of mobile phase effects on retention for core-shell columns in mixed aqueous-organic mobile phases: linear solvent strength and Snyder-Soczewiński two-parameter models and a three-parameter model. For some compounds, two-parameter models show minor deviations from linearity due to neglect of possible minor retention in pure weak solvent, which is compensated for in the three-parameter model, which does not explicitly assume either the adsorption or the partition retention mechanism in normal- or reversed-phase systems. The model retention equation can be formulated as a function of solute retention factors of nonionic compounds in pure organic solvent and in pure water (or aqueous buffer) and of the volume fraction of an either aqueous or organic solvent component in a two-component mobile phase. With core-shell columns, the impervious solid core does not participate in the retention process. Hence, the thermodynamic retention factors, defined as the ratio of the mass of the analyte mass contained in the stationary phase to its mass in the mobile phase in the column, should not include the particle core volume. The values of the thermodynamic factors are lower than the retention factors determined using a convention including the inert core in the stationary phase. However, both conventions produce correct results if consistently used to predict the effects of changing mobile phase composition on retention. We compared three types of core-shell columns with C18-, phenyl-hexyl-, and biphenyl-bonded phases. The core-shell columns with phenyl-hexyl- and biphenyl-bonded ligands provided lower errors in two-parameter model predictions for alkylbenzenes, phenolic acids, and flavonoid compounds in comparison with C18-bonded ligands.

Electrochemical polymerization of luminol molecularly imprinted polymer on carboxyl graphene (MIP/CG) was developed as stir bar sorptive extraction (SBSE) coating for selective pre-concentration and specific recognition of bisphenol A (BPA), hexoestrol and diethylstilbestrol in milk samples. Luminol was employed as monomer and BPA as the template to prepare MIP under 0-0.6V electro-polymerization. Carboxyl graphene was modified on pencil lead as the substrate to increase extraction capacity. The preparation and extraction conditions affecting the extraction efficiency were optimized. Under the optimized conditions, a good linearity of three estrogens was obtained in the range of 4-1000ngmL(-1). The average recoveries at the three spiked levels of the three estrogens ranged from 83.4% to 96.3% with the relative standard deviations (RSD)≤7.1%. The limits of detection were in the range of 0.36-1.09ngmL(-1). The developed method with low cost, high selectivity and good reproducibility can be potentially applied for determining trace estrogens in complex food samples., (Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

A sensitive analytical method based on packed-fiber solid-phase extraction and high performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (PF SPE-HPLC-MS/MS) has been developed for determination of three synthetic stilbenes in milk. The stilbenes are extracted with acetonitrile, using sodium chloride, and purified with PF SPE using a cartridge containing electrospun polystyrene nanofibers. Parameters affecting the efficiency of PF SPE, such as pH and amount of salt, were optimized. Under optimal conditions, the limits of detection and quantification were 5-13pg/g and 15-37pg/g, respectively. Absolute recoveries varied between 60% and 85% at three different levels. The method was successfully applied for the determination of estrogenic stilbenes in a total of 69 milk samples. The method is sensitive and cost-effective in stilbene detection, and has potential in quality control of dairy products., (Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

A new stir bar sorptive extraction (SBSE) coating based on molecularly imprinted polymer (MIP) with diethylstilbestrol as replaced template molecule was prepared. The influences of the contents of template molecule and monomer in the polymerization mixture on the extraction performance of MIP-SBSE were investigated thoroughly. The MIP was characterized by elemental analysis, scanning electron microscopy and infrared spectroscopy. In order to evaluate the usability of the new coating, the MIP-SBSE was combined with high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and diode array detector (DAD) with dienestrol (DS) and hexestrol (HS) as detected solutes. To achieve optimally selective extraction performance for DS and HS, several parameters, including extraction and desorption times, desorption solvent, ionic strength and pH value in sample matrix were investigated. The results showed that under the optimized experimental conditions, the present method has high selectivity and sensitivity. When drying-redissolving procedure was taken during sample preparation, the limits of detection for DS and HS were as low as 0.04 microg/L and 0.14 micorg/L, respectively. Good linearities were obtained for analytes with the correlation coefficients (R2) above 0.99. Finally, the proposed method was successfully applied to the determination of DS and HS in wastewater, honey and cow urine samples. The recoveries of spiked target compounds in real samples ranged from 61.3% to 120%. The developed method is simple, selective, sensitive and applicable for the analysis of trace DS and HS in complicated samples.

A novel sample preparation technique termed dynamic liquid-liquid-solid microextraction (DLLSME) was developed and on-line coupled to high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) for direct extraction, desorption, and analysis of trace estrogens in complex samples. The DLLSME consists of the aqueous donor phase, the organic medium phase and the molecularly imprinted polymer filaments (MIPFs) as solid acceptor phase. The organic solvent with lesser density was directly added on top of the aqueous sample, and the dynamic extraction was performed by circulating the organic solvent through the MIPFs inserted into a PEEK tube which served as an extraction and desorption chamber. Afterwards, the extracted analytes on the MIPFs were on-line desorbed and then introduced into the HPLC for analysis. To evaluate the feasibility of the on-line system, a new DLLSME-HPLC method was developed for the analysis of five estrogens in aqueous samples by using 17β-estradiol MIPFs as the solid phase. Under the optimized conditions, the enrichment factors of 51-70, limits of detection of 0.08-0.25 μg/L and precision within 4.5-6.9% were achieved. Furthermore, the proposed method was applied to the analysis of real samples including urine, milk and skin toner, satisfactory recovery (81.9-99.8%) and reproducibility (4.1-7.9%) were obtained. Especially, 0.59 μg/L of 17β-estradiol was determined in female urine sample. The DLLSME offers an attractive alternative for direct analysis of trace analytes in aqueous samples and could potentially be extended to other adsorptive materials., (Copyright © 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

A simple, rapid and sensitive method for the determination of diethylstilbestrol (DES), dienestrol (DE) and hexestrol (HEX) was developed by using the Nylon 6 nanofibers mat-based solid-phase extraction (SPE) coupled with liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS). These estrogens were separated within 8 min by LC using an ODS column and methanol/water (80/20, v/v) at a flow rate of 1.0 mL min(-1). Electrospray ionization conditions in the negative ion mode were optimized for MS detection of the estrogens. Under the optimum SPE conditions, all target analytes in 50 mL environmental water samples can be completely extracted by 1.5 mg Nylon 6 nanofibers mat at flow rate of 3.0 mL min(-1) and easily eluted by passage of 500 μL mobile phase. By using the novel SPE-LC/MS method, good linearity of the calibration curve (r(2) ≥ 0.9992) was obtained in the concentration range from 0.10 ng L(-1) to 1.0 mg L(-1) (except for DE which was 0.20 ng L(-1) to 1.0 mg L(-1)) for all analytes examined. The limits of detection (S/N = 3) of the three estrogens ranged from 0.05 ng L(-1) to 0.10 ng L(-1). This method was applied successfully to the analysis of environmental water samples without any other pretreatment and interference peaks. Several water samples were collected from Jinchuan River and Xuanwu Lake, and in Jinchuan River water DES was detected at 0.13 ng L(-1). The recoveries of estrogens spiked into tap water were above 98.2%, and the relative standard deviations were below 4.78%.

An improved technique, pressurized capillary electrochromatography (pCEC) coupling with end-column amperometric detection (AD), was developed and used for the separation and determination of estrogens. The effects of pH value, composition of mobile phase, concentration of the surfactant sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) and applied voltage on separation were investigated. The electrochemical oxidation of diethylstilbestrol (DES), dienestrol (DE), and hexestrol (HEX) could be reliably monitored with a carbon electrode at 0.9 V (vs. Ag/AgCl). The pCEC analyses were performed on a capillary separation column packed with 3 microm C18 particles with an acetonitrile/water (31%: 69%) mobile phase containing Tris buffer (5 mmol/L, pH 4.5) and 4 mmol/L SDS. High voltage up to 12 kV reduced the retention time dramatically and still provided a baseline resolution. In addition, supplementary pressure prevented bubble formation and provided reliability and reproducibility of the pCEC performance. The detection limits for the three estrogens ranged from 1.2 to 2.2x10(-7) mol/L, about 10 20-fold lower than those obtained with pCEC-UV detection. To evaluate the feasibility and reliability of this system, the proposed pCEC-AD method was further demonstrated with fish muscle samples spiked with estrogens.