Supercritical selective extraction

Adsorption and Desorption Adsorbents may be used to recover solutes from supercritical fluid extracts for example, activated carbon and polymeric sorbents may be used to recover caffeine from CO9. This approach may be used to improve the selectivity of a supercritical fluid extraction process. SCF extraction may be used to regenerate adsorbents such as activated carbon and to remove contaminants from soil. In many cases the chemisorption is sufficiently strong that regeneration with CO9 is limited, even if the pure solute is quite soluble in CO9. In some cases a cosolvent can be added to the SCF to displace the sorbate from the sorbent. Another approach is to use water at elevated or even supercritical temperatures to facilitate desorption. Many of the principles for desorption are also relevant to extraction of substances from other substrates such as natural products and polymers. 

In order to reduce or eliminate off-line sample preparation, multidimensional chromatographic techniques have been employed in these difficult analyses. LC-GC has been employed in numerous applications that involve the analysis of poisonous compounds or metabolites from biological matrices such as fats and tissues, while GC-GC has been employed for complex samples, such as arson propellants and for samples in which special selectivity, such as chiral recognition, is required. Other techniques include on-line sample preparation methods, such as supercritical fluid extraction (SFE)-GC and LC-GC-GC. In many of these applications, the chromatographic method is coupled to mass spectrometry or another spectrometiic detector for final confirmation of the analyte identity, as required by many courts of law. 

Although on-line sample preparation cannot be regarded as being traditional multidimensional chromatography, the principles of the latter have been employed in the development of many on-line sample preparation techniques, including supercritical fluid extraction (SFE)-GC, SPME, thermal desorption and other on-line extraction methods. As with multidimensional chromatography, the principle is to obtain a portion of the required selectivity by using an additional separation device prior to the main analytical column. 

The basic process outline is depicted in Figure 5.2 moist un-roasted coffee beans and CO2 are fed counter-currently into the extractor under supercritical conditions. Caffeine is selectively extracted into the CO2 and this stream is led to a water-wash column to remove caffeine at a reduced pressure, the CO2 being recycled back to the extraction column. Extraction of the caffeine into water is necessary to avoid dropping the CO2 pressure too low, since compression is energy-intensive. There is now the problem of separating the caffeine (which is used in soft drinks and pharmaceu-... 

Lopez, M. et al.. Selective extraction of astaxanthin from crustaceans by use of supercritical carbon dioxide, Talanta, 64, 726, 2004. 

Supercritical fluid extraction (SFE) is generally used for the extraction of selected analytes from solid sample matrices, but applications have been reported for aqueous samples. In one study, recoveries of 87-100% were obtained for simazine, propazine, and trietazine at the 0.05 ug mL concentration level using methanol-modified CO2 (10%, v/v) to extract the analytes, previously preconcentrated on a C-18 Empore extraction disk. The analysis was performed using LC/UV detection. Freeze-dried water samples were subjected to SFE for atrazine and simazine, and the optimum recoveries were obtained using the mildest conditions studied (50 °C, 20 MPa, and 30 mL of CO2). In some cases when using LEE and LC analysis, co-extracted humic substances created interference for the more polar metabolites when compared with SFE for the preparation of the same water sample. ... 

Supercritical fluid extraction can be performed in a static system with the attainment of a steady-state equilibrium or in a continuous leaching mode (dynamic mode) for which equilibrium is unlikely to be obtained (257,260). In most instances the dynamic approach has been preferred, although the selection of the method probably depends just as much on the properties of the matrix as those of the analyte. The potential for saturation of a component with limited solubility in a static solvent pool may hinder complete recovery of the analyte. In a dynamic system, the analyte is continuously exposed to a fresh stream of solvent, increasing the rate of extraction from the matrix. In a static systea... 

SFE has been used extensively in the analysis of solid polymers. Supercritical fluid extraction of liquid samples is undertaken less widely because dissolution or entrainment of the matrix can occur. As illustrated elsewhere SFE has also been applied for the analysis of liquid poly(alkylene glycol) (PAG) lubricants and sorbitan ester formulations [370]. The analysis of PAG additives (antioxidants, biocides and anticorrosion, antiwear and antifoaming agents) is hindered by the presence of the low molecular weight PAG matrix (liquid) and therefore a method for the selective separation of additives from PAG is required. The PAG... 

Acrylonitrile metabolites have been measured in blood and urine, but, except for measurement of thiocyanate, these methods have not been developed for routine monitoring of exposed humans. Supercritical fluid extraction/chromatography and immunoassay analysis are two areas of intense current activity from which substantial advances in the determination of acrylonitrile and its metabolites in biological samples can be anticipated. The two techniques are complementary because supercritical fluid extraction is especially promising for the removal of analytes from sample material and immunoassay is very analyte-selective and sensitive (Vanderlaan et al. 1988). 

The iridium catalyst was found to be sufficiently soluble for catalysis when in the form of the substrate complex, but precipitated quantitatively once all substrate had been consumed. Supercritical fluid extraction at that stage yielded the solvent- and metal-free product in crystalline form leaving the active and selective catalyst behind for... 

The popularity of this extraction method ebbs and flows as the years go by. SFE is typically used to extract nonpolar to moderately polar analytes from solid samples, especially in the environmental, food safety, and polymer sciences. The sample is placed in a special vessel and a supercritical gas such as CO2 is passed through the sample. The extracted analyte is then collected in solvent or on a sorbent. The advantages of this technique include better diffusivity and low viscosity of supercritical fluids, which allow more selective extractions. One recent application of SFE is the extraction of pesticide residues from honey [27]. In this research, liquid-liquid extraction with hexane/acetone was termed the conventional method. Honey was lyophilized and then mixed with acetone and acetonitrile in the SFE cell. Parameters such as temperature, pressure, and extraction time were optimized. The researchers found that SFE resulted in better precision (less than 6% RSD), less solvent consumption, less sample handling, and a faster extraction than the liquid-liquid method [27]. 

Snyder et al. [20] have compared supercritical fluid extraction with classical sonication and Soxhlet extraction for the extraction of selected pesticides from soils. Samples extracted with supercritical carbon dioxide modified with 3% methanol at 350atm and 50°C gave a =85% recovery of organochlorine insecticides including Dichlorvos, Endrin, Endrin aldehyde, p,p -DDT mirex and decachlorobiphenyl (and organophosphorus insecticides). 

Snyder et al. [94] compared supercritical extraction with classical sonication and Soxhlet extraction for the extraction of selected organophosphorus insecticides from soil. Samples extracted with supercritical carbon dioxide modified with 3% methanol at 350atm and 50°C gave a =85% recovery of Diazinon (diethyl-2-isopropyl-6-methyl-4-pyrimidinyl phosphorothiodate or 0,0 diethyl-0-(2-isopropyl-6-methyl-4-pyrimidyl) phosphorothioate). Ronnel (or Fenchlorphos) 0,0-dimethyl-0-2,4,5 trichlorophenol phosphorothiodate), Parathion ethyl (diethyl-p-nitrophenyl (phosphorothioate), Tetrachlorovinphos (trans,-2-chloro-l-(2,4,5 trichlorophenyl) vinyl (chlorophenyl-O-methylphenyl phosphorothioate) and Methiadathion. Supercritical fluid extraction with methanol modified carbon dioxide has been applied to the determination of organophosphorus insecticides in soil [260]. 

Snyder et al. [23] compared supercritical fluid extraction with classical sonication and Soxhlet extraction from the analysis of selected insecticides in soils. 

GC = gas chromatography GPC = gel permeation chromatography ECD = electron capture detector MS = mass spectrometry MSD = mass selective detector SFE = supercritical fluid extraction TLC = thin layer chromatography... 

Snyder JL, Grab RL, McNally ME, et al. 1992. Comparison of supercritical fluid extraction with classical sonication and soxhlet extractions for selected pesticides. Anal Chem 64 1940-1946. 

Non-ionic surfactants of a commercial washing powder were separated by supercritical fluid chromatography (SFC) and determined by APCI-MS. The constituents were first extracted by supercritical fluid extraction (SFE) using C02 with or without methanol as a modifier. Variations of the conditions resulted in a selective extraction of the analytes, which could be determined without further purification. Six groups of surfactants were observed, four of which are alkyl-polyethoxylates. The presence of APEO could be excluded by identification recording SFC-FTIR (Fourier transform infrared) spectra [31]. 

S.B. Hawthorne, C.B. Grabanski, E. Martin and D.J. Miller, Comparison of Soxhlet extraction, pressurized liquid extraction, supercritical fluid extraction and subcritical water extraction for environmental solids recovery, selectivity and effects on sample matrix. J. Chromatogr.A 892 (2000) 421 133. 

Ideally, the pollutants to be determined should be removed from the matrix as completely as possible with a minimum amount of the other non-target components. This type of selectivity was certainly anticipated from supercritical fluid extraction. However, trace organic pollutants cover a wide range of polarity, volatility, and molecular size, making selective extraction very difficult to achieve. Currently the most popular extraction methods are Soxhlet [191,400, 402-404], blending [189, 408, 409, 411-455], liquid column extraction and ultrasonic extraction [456], and more recently supercritical fluid extraction [386,456-463]. 

Supercritical fluids were soon found to be highly efficient extraction media, chiefly because of their high solvating power, their low viscosities (intermediate between a gas and a liquid), and their low surface tensions that enable their penetration deep into the extraction matrix. Supercritical fluid extraction (SEE) used in isolation is generally not selective enough to separate specific solutes from the matrix without further cleanup or resolution from coextracted species prior to qualitative and quantitative analysis. Consequently, for analytical applications, SFE is usually used in combination with chromatographic techniques to improve the overall selectivity in the isolation of specific solutes. The combined use of SFE with chromatographic techniques is quite recent. 

Finally, supercritical fluid chromatography, in which a supercritical fluid is used as the mobile phase, was introduced by Klesper [164-166]. SFE directly coupled to SFC provides an extremely powerful analytical tool. The efficient, fast and selective extraction capabilities of supercritical fluids allows quantitative extraction and direct transfer of the selected solutes of interest to be accomplished to the column, often without the need for further sample treatment or cleanup. Extraction selectivity is usually achieved by adjusting the pressure of the supercritical fluid at constant temperature or, less often, by changing the temperature of the supercritical fluid at constant pressure. SFE coupled with packed column SFC has found... 

As its name suggests, supercritical fluid extraction (SEE) relies on the solubilizing properties of supercritical fluids. The lower viscosities and higher diffusion rates of supercritical fluids, when compared with those of liquids, make them ideal for the extraction of diffusion-controlled matrices, such as plant tissues. Advantages of the method are lower solvent consumption, controllable selectivity, and less thermal or chemical degradation than methods such as Soxhlet extraction. Numerous applications in the extraction of natural products have been reported, with supercritical carbon dioxide being the most widely used extraction solvent. However, to allow for the extraction of polar compounds such as flavonoids, polar solvents (like methanol) have to be added as modifiers. There is consequently a substantial reduction in selectivity. This explains why there are relatively few applications to polyphenols in the literature. Even with pressures of up to 689 bar and 20% modifier (usually methanol) in the extraction fluid, yields of polyphenolic compounds remain low, as shown for marigold Calendula officinalis, Asteraceae) and chamomile Matricaria recutita, Asteraceae). " ... 

Application of supercritical fluid extraction (SFE) for selective isolation of organophosphorus pesticides from a real-world matrix (wheat flour) (Kim et al., 1998). 

In summary, there are four major parameters in SFE that can be modified to obtain good selectivity pressure, temperature, extraction period and choice of modifier. Supercritical fluid extraction is easily automated and can be economically viable if the number of samples is large. 

In the same area, some authors [13,14] have shown that a new selective extraction from a fermentation broth in supercritical CO2 can be driven by adding surfactants and molecular micelles. Promising preliminary results indicate new possibilities for treating water-soluble compounds with CO2. 

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