Development of a new method using dispersive liquid-liquid microextraction with hydrophobic natural deep eutectic solvent for the analysis of multiclass emerging contaminants in surface water by liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry.

A new analytical method was developed for the determination of 14 multiclass emerging organic contaminants in surface waters using LC-MS, and Dispersive Liquid-Liquid Microextraction (DLLME) for extraction. Different Natural Deep Eutectic Solvents (NADESs) composed of terpenes and organic acids were tested as extraction solvents and characterized by Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR), Hydrogen Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy (H-NMR), Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC), Thermogravimetric Analysis (TGA), density, and viscosity, eliminating the need to use traditional chlorinated solvents. NADES produced with butyric acid and thymol showed the best results and was selected for application for the first time in the extraction of emerging organic contaminants of different classes in water samples.