A magnetic porous carbon material achieving rapid and convenient separation of volatile cinnamaldehyde in cinnamon

Rapid and convenient enrichment and detection of volatile cinnamaldehyde (Cin) from a common herbal medicine, cinnamon, was achieved through a reliable MSPE-HPLC-DAD approach. The magnetic porous carbon material (Carbon-Fe₃C/lignin) used for MSPE was prepared as follows. First, the metal organic framework (MIL-101-NH₂ (Fe)) was synthesized using the solvothermal method. Next, lignin was incorporated and carbonized in a nitrogen atmosphere. The resulting Carbon-Fe₃C/lignin was then employed for the rapid extraction of Cin from cinnamon. Surprisingly, up to 88 % of the Cin in cinnamon were successfully extracted within 30 min. Carbon-Fe₃C/lignin maintained a high adsorption capacity after multiple cycles. By inference, the doping with lignin enhanced the specific surface area of Carbon-Fe₃C/lignin, improved the dispersion of Fe nanoparticles, and introduced more defects and oxygen-containing groups served as active adsorption sites. This adsorbent is expected to replace traditional extraction methods and provide a greener way to obtain volatile active ingredients from natural products.