Liquid–liquid extraction assisted by a carbon nanoparticles interface. Electrophoretic determination of atrazine in environmental samples

A novel method for the determination of atrazine, using liquid–liquid extraction assisted by a nanoparticles film formed in situ and composed of organic solvent stabilized-carbon nanoparticles, is described. The presence of nanoparticles located at the liquid–liquid interface reinforced the extraction of analyte from matrix prior to capillary electrophoresis (CE) analysis. Some influential experimental variables were optimized in order to enhance the extraction efficiency. The developed procedure confirmed that carbon nanoparticles, especially multi-walled carbon nanotubes, are suitable to be used in sample treatment processes introducing new mechanisms of interaction with the analyte. The application of the proposed preconcentration method followed by CE detection enabled the determination of atrazine in spiked river water providing acceptable RSD values (11.6%) and good recoveries (about 87.0–92.0%). Additionally, a similar extraction scheme was tested in soil matrices with a view to further applications in real soil samples.