ISSN print edition: 0366-6352 ISSN electronic edition: 1336-9075 Registr. No.: MK SR 9/7 Published monthly

Liquid–liquid microextraction method based on switchable hydrophilic solvent for determination of parabens in cream samples

Elif Yildiz and Ümmühan Calisir

Chemistry Department, Faculty of Science, Zonguldak Bülent Ecevit University, Zonguldak, Turkey

E-mail: ozdalelif@beun.edu.tr

Received: 3 May 2024  Accepted: 23 July 2024

Abstract:

In this study, an easily applicable and rapid switchable hydrophilicity solvent-based liquid–liquid microextraction method was developed for the extraction of parabens (ethyl, propyl, and butyl parabens) from cream samples prior to analysis by high-performance liquid chromatography–ultraviolet detection. Di-(2-ethylhexyl)phosphoric acid can be used as a switchable hydrophilic extraction solvent which is existed in hydrophilic form in alkaline solution and converted to the hydrophobic formula when the solution is acidified with a mineral acid. Some parameters affecting extraction such as sodium hydroxide volume, hydrochloric acid volume, di-(2-ethylhexyl)phosphoric acid volume, Fe₃O₄ amount, vortex mixing time, elution solvent type, elution solvent volume and elution mixing time were examined and their optimum values were determined. Under optimum conditions, the limit of detection and limit of quantification were determined to be 0.03–0.11 µg g⁻¹ and 0.12–0.36 µg g⁻¹, respectively. The calibration graphs exhibited coefficients of determination (R²) greater than 0.9991. The relative standard deviation value was calculated as 1.5–5.7% for intraday and 5.2–8.5% for interday. The developed method was successfully applied for the determination of ethyl, propyl and butyl paraben from four different cream samples and relative recovery of 80.5–102.3% were achieved with relative standard deviations of below 5.4.

Keywords: Environmental Chemistry; Liquid–liquid microextraction; Switchable hydrophilicity solvent; Cream samples; Paraben; High-performance liquid chromatography–ultraviolet detection

Full paper is available at www.springerlink.com.

DOI: 10.1007/s11696-024-03627-8

Chemical Papers 78 (13) 7633–7642 (2024)