Abstract
The functional silica-based materials functionalized with a strong nitrogen base TBD (SiO2-TBD) deposited via a linker or with a basic poly(amidoamine) dendrimer containing multiple terminal amine groups -NH2 (SiO2-EDA) and functional polymers containing a strong phosphazene base (Polymer-Phosphazene) or another basic poly(amidoamine) dendrimer (PMVEAMA-PAMAM) were tested as sorbents dedicated to a mixture of nitrophenols (p-nitrophenol and 2-methoxy-5-nitrophenol), which are analogs of nitrophenols used in plant growth biostimulants. The adsorptive potential of the studied materials reached 0.102, 0.089, 0.140, and 0.074 g of the nitrophenols g−1, for SiO2-TBD, SiO2-EDA, polymer-phosphazene, and PMVEAMA-PAMAM, respectively. The sorptive efficiency of the analytes, i.e., their adsorption on the functional materials, the desorption from the obtained [(sorbent)H+ − nitrophenolates–] complexes, and interactions with the used soil, were monitored using mass spectrometry (MS) technique with electrospray (ESI) and flowing atmosphere-pressure afterglow (FAPA) ionizations, for the analysis of the aqueous solutions and the solids, respectively. The results showed that the adsorption/desorption progress is determined by the structures of the terminal basic domains anchored to the materials, which are connected with the strength of the proton exchange between the sorbents and nitrophenols. Moreover, the conducted comprehensive MS analyses, performed for both solid and aqueous samples, gave a broad insight into the interactions of the biostimulants and the presented functional materials.
Highlights
The application of organic-inorganic hybrid materials or functionalized polymers containing molecular receptors capable of binding organic compounds has gained significant attention through the last years [1,2,3,4,5]
The introduction of particular organic receptors on the surface of chosen supports, as binding domains, must be initially justified by their ability to interact with the analytes, which are intended to be bound by the final adsorbents
We presented two functional silica-based materials and two polymeric materials, which contained structurally different strong base residues deposited on their surface, which were PAMAM dendrimers, TBD, and phosphazene
Summary
The application of organic-inorganic hybrid materials or functionalized polymers containing molecular receptors capable of binding organic compounds (analytes) has gained significant attention through the last years [1,2,3,4,5]. Materials containing organic domains capable of the formation of non-covalent guest–host interactions may find various applications, both in the form of ‘empty’ hybrid materials with free pendant host molecules and in the form of host–guest complexes Such application potential, at the stage of synthesis and final analytical experiments, might be investigated using various techniques; mass spectrometry (MS) methods are the ones of the highest reliability, sensitivity, and versatility
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