Application of magnetic carbon nano-onions in dispersive solid-phase extraction combined with DLLME for extraction of pesticide residues from water and vegetable samples

Abstract

A dispersive solid-phase microextraction method based on magnetic carbon nano-onions (MCNOs) was developed for the extraction and preconcentration of some pesticides from water and vegetable samples. For more cleanup and preconcentration, a dispersive liquid–liquid microextraction (DLLME) method was employed after performing the first step. In this method, firstly, MCNOs were prepared and then used for adsorption of the analytes from the sample solution. After that, the adsorbed analytes were eluted with an appropriate water-miscible organic solvent and used as a dispersive solvent in the following DLLME procedure. The extracted analytes were quantified by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) in selected ion monitoring (SIM) mode. Various factors affecting the method efficiency such as sorbent weight, salt effect, pH, temperature, and type and volume of eluent and extraction solvent were optimized. This method showed wide linear ranges with a coefficient of determination ≥ 0.994, and low limits of detection (0.001–0.005 ng mL⁻¹) and quantification (0.003–0.019 ng mL⁻¹) under optimal conditions. Also, a good precision (relative standard deviation ≤ 8.6%) for five replicates and a satisfactory accuracy (mean relative recoveries between 82 and 99%) were obtained. It can be considered as an efficient and environment friendly method for the extraction of analytes from vegetable and fruit juices and water samples.