Uniformly-sized, molecularly imprinted polymers for nicotine by precipitation polymerization

Uniformly-sized, molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs) for (S)-nicotine have been prepared by a precipitation polymerization method using methacrylic acid (MAA) or 2-(trifluoromethyl)acrylic acid (TFMAA) as a functional monomer and divinylbenzene (DVB) as a cross-linker in a mixture of toluene and acetonitrile. The (S)-nicotine-imprinted MAA-co-DVB polymers were monodispersed microspheres of about 4 μm in diameter, while the TFMAA-co-DVB ones were gel-like. Molecular recognition abilities of the former MIPs were evaluated for nicotine and its structurally related compounds in liquid chromatography using a mixture of sodium phosphate buffer and acetonitrile as the eluent. Enantioseparation of nicotine was attained using the (S)-nicotine-imprinted MAA-co-DVB polymers. Furthermore, they could selectively trap nicotine in cigarette smoke extracts.