Magnetic ionic liquid in stirring-assisted drop-breakup microextraction: Proof-of-concept extraction of phenolic endocrine disrupters and acidic pharmaceuticals

• a magnetic ionic liquid-based procedure for microextraction purposes is proposed.
• the term ‘magnetic ionic liquid in stirring-assisted drop-breakup microextraction’ is coined for this novel procedure.
• it extracts phenolic compounds and acidic pharmaceuticals from aqueous matrixes.
• it uses low volumes of ionic liquid, avoids the use of toxic solvents and exhibits high extraction efficiency.

The use of magnetic ionic liquids (MILs) is in constant growth due to their switchable properties in the presence of an external magnetic field along with the outstanding properties of ionic liquids. In this study, a novel stirring-assisted drop-breakup microextraction (SADBME) approach is put forward, based on the synthesis and utilization of methyltrioctylammonium tetrachloroferrate (N8 8,8,1[FeCl4]), as a MIL. The proposed procedure complies with the principles of the green chemistry, since it uses low volumes of easily synthesized ILs-based magnetic extracting phases avoiding the use of toxic solvents. To demonstrate its applicability, the proposed microextraction procedure is studied in conjunction with HPLC for the determination of selected phenols and acidic pharmaceuticals in aqueous matrices, taking into account the main experimental variables involved. The results obtained are accurate and highly reproducible, thus making it a good alternative approach for routine analysis of phenols and acidic pharmaceuticals. The low-cost approach is straightforward, environmentally safe and exhibits high enrichment factors and absolute extraction percentages and satisfactory recoveries. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first time that a MIL is used for analytical purposes in a practical, efficient and environmentally friendly drop-breakup microextraction approach for small molecules.

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