Ionic liquid-based microextraction techniques for trace-element analysis

MARTINIS, ESTEFANIA M.; BERTON, PAULA; WUILLOUD, RODOLFO G.

TRAC-TRENDS IN ANALYTICAL CHEMISTRY

ELSEVIER SCI LTD

Lugar: Amsterdam; Año: 2014 vol. 60 p. 54 - 70

0165-9936

Ionic liquid-based liquid-liquid microextraction (IL-LLME) techniques are turning into remarkable tools to develop greener sample preparation methods in analytical chemistry. The application of ILs in LLME is receiving particular attention due to their unique physico-chemical properties, such as undetectable vapour pressure, versatility from high conformational possibilities, variable viscosity, density and miscibility with other solvents. These compounds can be structurally-designed to selectively extract target analytes based on unique molecular interactions, leading to highly efficient extraction procedures. In the last years, a wide range of microextraction techniques implementing ILs as successful extraction phases have been proposed. The present work outlines the latest applications of IL-LLME for trace elemental analysis, focusing on those challenges arisen during the analysis of complex samples. Environmental and health aspects related to the use of IL-LLME are also discussed. Finally, an outlook for potential applications and further developments on IL-LLME techniques is presented.