Polymethacrylate microparticles covalently functionalized with an ionic liquid for solid-phase extraction of fluoroquinolone antibiotics

Microparticles were synthesized by suspension copolymerization of the synthetic ionic liquid (IL) 1-allyl-3-methyl-imidazolium bromide with ethylene glycol dimethacrylate. The particles have a regular spherical shape and an average diameter of 65 +/- 24 mu m. Their affinity for the fluoroquinolone antibiotics ofloxacin (OFL), lomefloxacin (LOM) and ciprofloxacin (CIP) is much higher than that of the blank polymer (not containing an IL), of polymers using methacrylic acid as functional monomer, of hydrophilic-lipophilic balanced sorbents, and of C-18 sorbents. The microparticles were applied to the solid-phase extraction and rapid preconcentration of the fluoroquinolones from urine which then were quantified by HPLC. The calibration plot covers the 0.05 to 20 mu g mL(-1) concentration range, and the average recoveries at three spiking levels range from 93.6 to 103.7 %, with RSD of a parts per thousand currency sign5.7 %. The method was successfully applied to the determination of fluoroquinolones in spiked urine.