Novel Molecularly Imprinted Polymer for the Determination of Carbendazim From Water and Food by Solid-Phase Extraction and High-Performance Liquid Chromatography

Abstract

ABSTRACTSelective solid-phase extraction of carbendazim from water, fruit, and vegetables is reported using a molecularly imprinted polymer that was synthesized by precipitation polymerization using carbendazim as template, methacrylamide and methacrylic acid as the functional monomers, ethyleneglycol dimethacrylate as the cross-linker, and acetonitrile as the porogen. An analytical methodology was developed based on the enrichment of the samples by the molecularly imprinted polymer by solid-phase extraction, and the determination of carbendazim by high-performance liquid chromatography. The parameters affecting on the extraction efficiency of molecularly imprinted polymer were evaluated to optimize selective preconcentration from the samples. Using the optimized conditions, the developed molecularly imprinted polymer–methacrylamide–solid-phase extraction showed a maximum adsorption capacity of 28.32 mg g−1 with an imprinting factor of 2.69. The binding equilibrium constant of the methacrylamide molecularly imprinted polymer for carbendazim was 998.7 L mmol−1. The developed method was used for the quantification of carbendazim in tap, lake, and well water, fruits, and vegetables. The concentrations of carbendazim in all samples were below the European legal limits. Molecularly imprinted solid-phase extraction showed superior efficiency for carbendazim compared to nonimprinted polymer solid-phase extraction.