title: Innovative cavitand-based sol-gel coatings for the environmental monitoring of benzene and chlorobenzenes via solid-phase microextraction.
abstract: An innovative and very selective solid-phase microextraction coating synthesized by sol-gel technology was developed for the determination of environmental pollutants such as aromatic hydrocarbons at trace levels in air, water, and soil samples. The obtained fibers, composed of quinoxaline-bridged cavitand units, were characterized in terms of film thickness, morphology, thermal stability, and pH resistance. Fibers, characterized by an average thickness of 56 +/- 6 mum, exhibited an excellent thermal stability until 400 degrees C and a very good fiber-to-fiber and batch-to-batch repeatability with RSD lower than 6%. Finally, the capabilities of the developed coating for the selective sampling of aromatic hydrocarbons were proved, obtaining LOD values in the subnanogram per liter range. Extraction efficiency at least 2-fold higher than that obtained using commercial devices was proved for chlorobenzenes sampling in river water, obtaining extraction recoveries ranging from 87.4 +/- 2.6% to 94.7 +/- 1.9%. The selective desorption of benzene in the presence of high amounts of other airborne pollutants was also demonstrated.
authors.affiliation: Dipartimento di Chimica Generale ed Inorganica, Chimica Analitica, Chimica Fisica, Universita degli Studi di Parma, Viale Usberti 17/A, 43100 Parma, Italy. federica.bianchi@unipr.it
authors.forename: Federica
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Bianchi
authors.forename: Monica
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Mattarozzi
authors.forename: Paolo
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Betti
authors.forename: Franco
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Bisceglie
authors.forename: Maria
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Careri
authors.forename: Alessandro
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Mangia
authors.forename: Leonard
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Sidisky
authors.forename: Stefano
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ongarato
authors.forename: Enrico
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Dalcanale