Molecularly imprinted polymers and their application in solid phase extraction

Solid phase extraction is routinely used in many different areas of analytical chemistry. Some of the main fields are environmental, biological, and food chemistry, where cleaning and pre-concentration of the sample are important steps in the analytical protocol. Molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs) have attracted attention because they show promise as compound-selective or group-selective media. The application of these synthetic polymers as sorbents allows not only pre-concentration and cleaning of the sample but also selective extraction of the target analyte, which is important, particularly when the sample is complex and impurities can interfere with quantification. This review surveys the selectivity of MIPs in solid phase extraction of various kinds of analytes.