Extraction of trace tilmicosin in real water samples using ionic liquid-based aqueous two-phase systems

Area of Science:

• Analytical Chemistry
• Environmental Chemistry

Background:

• Tilmicosin is an antibiotic frequently detected in water samples.
• Efficient and sensitive methods are needed for tilmicosin detection in environmental matrices.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and optimize an ionic liquid-based aqueous two-phase extraction method for trace tilmicosin.
• To couple this extraction technique with HPLC for quantitative analysis.

Main Methods:

• Aqueous two-phase extraction using ionic liquid (1-butyl-3-methyllimidazolium chloride, [C4mim]Cl) and potassium phosphate (K2HPO4).
• Optimization of salt type and concentration, IL concentration, pH, and temperature.
• Analysis coupled with high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC).

Main Results:

• Optimized conditions yielded an average extraction efficiency of 95.8%.
• The method demonstrated feasibility for analyzing tilmicosin in real water samples within a range of 0.5-40 μg mL(-1).
• A low limit of detection (0.05 μg mL(-1)) and high recovery rates (92.0-99.0%) were achieved.

Conclusions:

• The developed ionic liquid-based extraction method is effective and sensitive for trace tilmicosin determination.
• This technique shows significant potential for routine environmental monitoring of tilmicosin.
• The method offers a robust approach for sample preparation in water analysis.