Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Ionic liquids as mobile phase additives for the high-performance liquid chromatographic analysis of fluoroquinolone antibiotics in water samples

  • Original Paper
  • Published:
Analytical and Bioanalytical Chemistry Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

In this work, four ionic liquids differing in the length of the alkyl chain on the imidazolium cation and one ionic liquid containing tetraethylammonium, all with the same counterion, (i.e. 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium tetrafluoroborate (EMIm-BF4), 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium tetrafluoroborate (BMIm-BF4), 1-hexyl-3-methylimidazolium tetrafluoroborate (HMIm-BF4), 1-methyl-3-octylimidazolium tetrafluoroborate (MOIm-BF4), and tetraethylammonium tetrafluroborate (Et4N-BF4)) were tested as mobile phase additives for HPLC separation of a group of seven basic fluoroquinolone (FQ) antibiotics for human and veterinary use (i.e. fleroxacin, ciprofloxacin, lomefloxacin, danofloxacin, enrofloxacin, sarafloxacin, and difloxacin) using a conventional reversed-phase Nova-Pak C18 column. Fluorescence detection was used. Among the ionic liquids selected, use of BMIm-BF4 enabled effective separation of these compounds with relatively low analysis time (14 min). The best separation was achieved by isocratic elution at 1 mL min−1 with 5 mmol L−1 BMIm-BF4 and 10 mmol L−1 ammonium acetate at pH 3.0 with 13% (v/v) acetonitrile. Limits of detection (LODs) for fluorescence detection were in the range 0.5–11 μg L−1. The method was tested by analyzing several water samples after the optimization of a suitable solid-phase extraction (SPE) procedure using Oasis HLB cartridges. Mean recovery values were above 84% for all analytes with LODs in the range 1–29 ng L−1.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4
Fig. 5

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Galinski M, Lewandowski A, Stepniak I (2006) Electrochim Acta 51:5567–5580

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  2. Berthod A, Ruiz-Ángel MJ, Carda-Broch S (2008) J Chromatogr A 1184:6–18

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  3. Ruiz-Ángel MJ, Carda-Broch S, Berthod A (2006) J Chromatogr A 1119:202–208

    Article  Google Scholar 

  4. Kaliszan R, Marszall MP, Markuszewski MJ, Baczek T, Pernak J (2004) J Chromatogr A 1030:263–271

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  5. Xiaohua XH, Zhao L, Liu X, Jiang SX (2004) Anal Chim Acta 519:207–211

    Article  Google Scholar 

  6. He LJ, Zhang WZ, Zhao L, Liu X, Jiang SX (2003) J Chromatogr A 1007:39–45

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  7. Marszall MP, Kaliszan R (2007) Crit Rev Anal Chem 37:127–140

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  8. Hirsch R, Ternes T, Haberer K, Kratz KL (1999) Sci Total Environ 225:109–118

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  9. Golet EM, Alder AC, Hartmann A, Ternes TA, Giger W (2001) Anal Chem 73:3632–3638

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  10. Golet EM, Strehler A, Alder AC, Giger A (2002) Anal Chem 74:5455–5462

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  11. Ferdig M, Kaleta A, Buchberger W (2005) J Sep Sci 28:1448–1456

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  12. Sacher F, Lange FT, Brauch HJ, Blankenhorn I (2001) J Chromatogr A 938:199–210

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  13. Kolpin DW, Furlong ET, Meyer MT, Thurman EM, Zaugg SD, Barber LB, Buxton HT (2002) Environ Sci Technol 36:1202–1211

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  14. Hartmann A, Golet EM, Gartiser S, Alder AC, Koller T, Widmer RM (1999) Environ Contam Toxicol 36:115–119

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  15. Pedersen JA, Soliman M, Suffet IH (2005) J Agric Food Chem 53:1625–1632

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  16. Peña A, Chimielova D, Lino CM, Solich P (2007) J Sep Sci 30:2924

    Article  Google Scholar 

  17. El-Kommos MA, Saleh GA, El-Giwazi SM, Abou-Elwafa MA (2003) Talanta 60:1033–1050

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  18. Turiel E, Martin-Esteban A, Tadeo JL (2006) Anal Chim Acta 562:30–35

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  19. Cañada-Cañada F, Espinosa-Mansilla A, Muñoz de la Peña A (2007) J Sep Sci 30:1242–1249

    Article  Google Scholar 

  20. Zhao SJ, Jiang HY, Ding SY, Li XL, Wang GQ, Li C, Shen JZ (2007) Chromatographia 65:539–544

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  21. Wright DH, Herman VK, Konstantinides FN, Rotschafer JC (1998) J Chromatogr B 709:97–104

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  22. Schneider MJ, Braden SE, Reyes-Herrera I, Donoghue DJ (2007) J Chromatogr B 846:8–13

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  23. Rodríguez-Díaz RC, Fernández-Romero JM, Aguilar-Caballos MP, Gómez-Hens A (2006) J Agric Food Chem 54:9670–9676

    Article  Google Scholar 

  24. Vilchez JL, Navalón A, Araujo L, Prieto A (2007) Anal Lett 40:601–613

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  25. Bailac S, Barrón D, Barbosa J (2006) Anal Chim Acta 580:163–169

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  26. Prat MD, Benito J, Compañó R, Hernández-Arteseros JA, Granados M (2004) J Chromatogr A 1041:27–33

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  27. Reta M, Carr PW (1999) J Chromatogr A 855:121–127

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  28. Ferdig M, Kaleta A, Vo TDT, Buchberger W (2004) J Chromatogr A 1047:305–311

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  29. Jiménez-Lozano E, Marqués I, Barrón D, Beltrán JL, Barbosa J (2002) Anal Chim Acta 464:37–45

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgments

A.V.H.H. and J.H.B. wish to thank the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation for the FPU grant at the University of La Laguna and for the Juan de la Cierva contract in the Instituto Canario de Investigaciones Agrarias (ICIA), respectively. The authors would also like to thank Dr Francisco J. García-Montelongo for his help and suggestions. This work was supported by the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation (AGL2008–00990/ALI project).

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Departmento de Química Analítica, Nutrición y Bromatología, Universidad de La Laguna, Avda. Astrofísico Fco. Sánchez s/n, 38071 La Laguna, Tenerife, Islas Canarias, Spain

    Antonio V. Herrera-Herrera & Miguel Ángel Rodríguez-Delgado

  2. Departamento de Protección Vegetal, Instituto Canario de Investigaciones Agrarias (ICIA), Apdo. 60, 38200, La Laguna, Tenerife, Islas Canarias, Spain

    Javier Hernández-Borges

Authors
  1. Antonio V. Herrera-Herrera
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Javier Hernández-Borges
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Miguel Ángel Rodríguez-Delgado
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Miguel Ángel Rodríguez-Delgado.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Herrera-Herrera, A.V., Hernández-Borges, J. & Rodríguez-Delgado, M.Á. Ionic liquids as mobile phase additives for the high-performance liquid chromatographic analysis of fluoroquinolone antibiotics in water samples. Anal Bioanal Chem 392, 1439–1446 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00216-008-2442-9

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Revised:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00216-008-2442-9

Keywords

Search

Navigation