Poly(acrylamide-vinylpyridine-N,N′-methylene bisacrylamide) monolithic capillary for in-tube solid-phase microextraction coupled to high performance liquid chromatography

In-tube solid-phase microextraction (SPME) based on a poly(acrylamide-vinylpyridine-N,N′-methylene bisacrylamide) monolithic capillary was investigated and on-line coupled to HPLC for the determination of trace analytes in aqueous samples. The polymer monolith was conveniently synthesized in a fused silica capillary by in situ polymerization method. Several groups of analytes including non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, phenols, non-peptide angiotensin II receptor antagonists and endocrine disrupting chemicals were extracted by the monolithic capillary. High extraction efficiency was achieved for the analytes investigated and great improvement of the limits of detection were obtained in comparison to that of direct chromatographic analysis and strong hydrophobic and ion-exchange interactions between the analytes and the polymer were confirmed. The newly developed monolithic capillary showed excellent reusability and high stability under extreme pH conditions during extraction. The possibility of applying the established method to water sample analysis was also demonstrated.