Comparison of the extraction efficiency of ice concentration linked with extractive stirrer, stir bar sorptive extraction, and solid-phase microextraction for pesticides from drinking water

Abstract

With the advent of highly selective analysis techniques (e.g., liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry), and lower limits of detection requirements, extraction efficiency is arguably the most important property of modern sample preparation techniques. In this study, the extraction efficiency of Ice Concentration Linked with Extractive Stirrer (ICECLES) was compared to Stir Bar Sorptive Extraction (SBSE) and Solid-Phase Microextraction (SPME). A direct comparison of these sample preparation techniques was carried out with analysis via both Liquid Chromatography – Tandem Mass Spectrometry (LC–MS/MS) and Thermal Desorption Gas Chromatography – Mass Spectrometry (TD-GC–MS). ICECLES produced 2x and 7x greater TD-GC–MS signals than SBSE and SPME, respectively. When comparing extraction techniques for a suite of 60 pesticides in drinking water, 32, 25, and 13 pesticides were detected via LC–MS/MS at 0.1 ng/mL by ICECLES, SBSE, and SPME, respectively. Overall, ICECLES consistently produced better extraction efficiencies than the other extraction techniques evaluated.