Homogeneous liquid-liquid microextraction based on primary amine phase separation: A novel approach for sample pretreatment.

A homogeneous liquid-liquid microextraction procedure based on primary amine phase separation was developed as a novel approach for the pretreatment of biological fluids. The procedure assumes primary amine dissolution in the aqueous sample phase, resulting in the creation of a homogeneous sample solution followed by phase separation and analyte extraction in the presence of a polar, water-miscible organic solvent. The phenomenon of primary amine phase separation from homogeneous aqueous solution in the presence of a polar, water-miscible organic solvent was studied in detail and applied for separation and preconcentration in chemical analysis for the first time. The suggested approach was used for the HPLC-UV determination of meropenem as a proof-of-concept analyte in human plasma and serum samples. Under optimal conditions, the detector response of meropenem was linear in the concentration range of 0.1-100.0 mg L-1. The limit of detection was calculated from a blank test based on 3σ, was 0.03 mg L-1.