| Simultaneous derivatization and air-assisted liquid–liquid microextraction using an organic
solvent lighter than water has been developed for the extraction of some parabens in different
samples with the aid of a newly designed device for collecting the extractant. For this
purpose, the sample solution is transferred into a glass test tube and a few microliters of
acetic anhydride (as a derivatization agent) and p-xylene (as an extraction solvent) are added
to the solution. After performing the procedure, the homemade device consists of an inverse
funnel with a capillary tube placed into the tube. In this step, the collected extraction solvent
and a part of the aqueous solution are transferred into the device and the organic phase
indwells in the capillary tube of the device. Under the optimal conditions, limits of detection
and quantification for the analytes were obtained in the ranges of 0.90–2.7 and 3.0–6.1 ng
mL−1
, respectively. The enrichment and enhancement factors were in the ranges of 370–430
and 489–660, respectively. The method precision, expressed as the relative standard
deviation, was within the ranges of 4–6% (n=6) and 4–9% (n=4) for intra- and inter-day
precisions, respectively. The proposed method was successfully used for the determination of
methyl-, ethyl-, and propyl parabens in cosmetic, hygiene, and food samples, and personal
care products. |