Imidazole-functionalized covalent organic framework for sensitive analysis of neonicotinoid insecticides

Area of Science:

• Analytical Chemistry
• Materials Science

Background:

• Reliable monitoring of insecticide residues is crucial for public health.
• Neonicotinoid insecticides (NEONICs) pose environmental and health risks, necessitating sensitive detection methods.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a rapid, sensitive, and reliable method for determining NEONICs in diverse matrices.
• To evaluate the efficacy of an imidazole-functionalized covalent organic framework (COF) as a solid-phase extraction (SPE) adsorbent for NEONICs.

Main Methods:

• Synthesis of an imidazole-functionalized COF (TPT-DB-COF) with a core-shell structure.
• Application of TPT-DB-COF as an SPE adsorbent for sample cleanup and preconcentration.
• Analysis of NEONICs using High-Performance Liquid Chromatography with Diode Array Detection (HPLC-DAD).

Main Results:

• The TPT-DB-COF demonstrated superior adsorption capabilities for NEONICs.
• The developed TPT-DB-COF-SPE/HPLC-DAD method achieved low detection limits (0.02-1.3 ng g/mL across different matrices).
• High method recoveries (87.0% - 114%) and acceptable precision (RSD < 7.9%) were obtained.

Conclusions:

• The TPT-DB-COF shows significant promise as an effective adsorbent for NEONIC analysis.
• The developed method provides a sensitive and reliable approach for trace analysis of NEONICs in food and water samples.
• This advancement supports enhanced public health monitoring of pesticide residues.