Selective extraction of organic compounds as ion-pairs and adducts

Abstract

Selective and easily regulated systems for extraction of organic compounds as ion-pairs and/or adducts are presented. The effect of different kinds of hydrophobic agents that give adducts in the organic phase are demonstrated: mesitylene for nitrophenols, ethyl acetate and diethyl ether for hexestrol (diphenol), lipophilic alcohols for organic ammonium ion-pairs, dibenzo-18-crown-6 for ion-pairs of primary ammonium ions, HDEHP for hydrophilic aminophenols (adrenaline, isoproterenol, synephrine). It is shown that the extraction selectivity decreases with increasing content of the complexing agent in the adduct. The influence of the hydrogen-bonding character of the counter-ion and the organic solvent on the selectivity of ion-pair extractions is demonstrated with ammonium compounds (nortriptyline, amitriptyline and N-methylainitriptyline) and inorganic anions. Highly hydrophilic anionic compounds (e.g., glucuronides, cholic acid derivatives) can be extracted into chloroform as ion-pairs with large quaternary alkylammonium ions. The extraction efficiency of the cation increases with the number of methylene groups to a limit which is due to co-extraction of other sample components (e.g., buffer anions).