Determination of Migration of Six Phthalate Esters in Plastic Toys by GC-MS/MS Coupled with Solid-Phase Extraction Using Cucurbit[n]urils as Adsorbent

Qing Lv,Qing Zhang,Zhijuan Wang,Hua Bai,Haiyu Li

doi:10.2174/1874123101711010053

Abstract

Object: This paper presents a method for the determination of migration of six phthalate esters in plastic toys based on gas chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (GC-MS/MS) coupled with solid phase extraction using cucurbiturils (CB6-8) as adsorbent. Method: On the base of self-made migration device, toy samples were migrated for 10 min to 24 h in simulated saliva at 37 °C. The analytes were adsorbed by cucurbiturils SPE cartridges, eluted with ethyl acetate, then determined by GC-MS/MS and quantified by external standard method. The eluting solvents as well as the type and amount of the extraction materials were carefully optimized, then the reusability of the SPE cartridges was investigated. The limits of quantification (LOQs) ranged from 2.5 µg/L to 12.5 µg/L. Average recoveries of target analytes (spiked at three concentration levels) were in the range of 82.7% to 94.4%. Intraday repeatability and interday repeatability of the method varied from 2.3% to 6.6% and from 5.6% to 10.8%, respectively. Conclusion: The proposed method was finally used to explore the migration behavior of phthalate esters in commercial plastic toys.

Highlights

Cucurbit[n]urils (CB[n], where n = 5, 6, 7, 8, 10; Fig. 1) are pumpkin-shaped macrocyclic host molecules with a hydrophobic cavity and two identical openings lined with carbonyl groups [1]
We initially study the migration of six plasticizers in plastic toys through the self-made migration device based on highly sensitive GC-MS/MS technique
The limit of quantitation (LOQ) in this method is less than 12.5 μg/L

Summary

Introduction

Cucurbit[n]urils (CB[n], where n = 5, 6, 7, 8, 10; Fig. 1) are pumpkin-shaped macrocyclic host molecules with a hydrophobic cavity and two identical openings lined with carbonyl groups [1] Given this special structure, CB[n] has become a research hotspot in the supermolecule field in recent years. CB[n] has become a research hotspot in the supermolecule field in recent years Their interaction with target molecules is mainly driven by (1) the hydrophobicity cage effect, (2) the hydrophilia double-end-open effect, and (3) the size match of cavity effect [2, 3]. The unique structure of cucurbiturils enables them to be potential hydrophilic and lipophilic materials in solid-phase extraction

Methods

Results

Conclusion